41 


IIP 


Zion  Canyon 

Reproduced  from  a  painting  by  Orion   Putnam,  through  the 
courtesy  of  the  artist 

(See  page  i86) 


THE  "SEE  AMERICA  FIRST"  SERIES 

UTAH 

THE  LAND  OF  BLOSSOMING  VALLEYS 


The  Story  of  its  Desert  Wastes,  of  its  Huge  and  Fantastic  Rock 
Formations,  and  of  its  Fertile  Gardens  in  the  Sheltered  Valleys ; 
a  Survey  of  its  Rapidly  Developing  Industries;  an  Account  of  the 
Origin,  Development,  amd  Beliefs  of  the  Mormon  Church ;  and 
Chapters  on  the  Flora  and  Fauna,  and  on  the  Scenic  Wonders 
that  are  a  Heritage  of  all  Americans. 


BY 

GEORGE  WHARTON   JAMES 

AUTHOR   OF 

"  New  Mexico.  The  Land  of  the  Delight  Makers," 

"California,  Romantic  and  Beautiful,"  "Arizona, 

The  Wonderland,"  etc. 


With  a  map  and  fifty-six  plates 
of  zvhich  eight  are  in  color 


THE     PAGE     COMPANY 
BOSTON  *  MDCCCCXXII 


Copyright,  1922,  by 
Edith    E.    Farnsworth 


All  rights  reserved 


Made  in  U.  S.  A. 


First  Impression,  April,  1922 


THK    COLONIAL    PRESS 
C.    11.   SIMONDS    CO.,  BOSTON,    U.   S.   A. 


•  ••••  ••» 


%  *    • 


*,*••••••••  * 


•     •      •  •, 


Ja^j 


TO  THE  BRAVE  PIONEERS 
Women  as  well  as  Men 
WHO  DID  THEIR  PART  IN  THE  BUILDING  OF 
'^  THE  UTAH  OF  TODAY,  I  CORDIALLY 

^.  DEDICATE  THESE  PACES 

^  With  High  Esteem  for  Their  Rugged  Virtues  and 

-  \\  Profound  Respect  for  Their  Sturdy  Qualities 


±7C.12± 


BY  WAY  OF  FOREWORD 

This  is  the  fourth  volume  in  the  "  See  America  First  " 
series  that  it  has  been  my  pleasure  and  privilege  to  pre- 
pare. I  -trust  it  will  be  found  a  worthy  successor  to 
California,  Romantic  and  Beautiful;  Arizona,  the  Won- 
derland; and  Nezv  Mexico,  the  Land  of  the  Delight- 
makers.  From  the  historic  and  scenic  standpoints,  Utah 
has  no  apologies  to  offer  to  any  of  the  sisterhood  of 
western  states.  While  her  modern  history  begins  later 
than  that  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  it  is  equally,  if 
not  even  more  dramatic  and  moves  with  a  swift  intensity 
that  is  powerfully  thrilling.  The  journey  of  Coronado 
from  Culiacan  in  1540  to  the  discovery  of  the  "  Seven 
Cities  of  Cibola  "  was  not  as  dramatic  as  that  of  the 
humbler  march  of  the  cast-out  Mormons  from  dismantled 
and  ruined  Nauvoo,  in  Illinois,  over  the  weary  miles  of 
the  plains  and  mountains  to  the  founding  of  their  "  City 
of  Zion  "  in  the  then  almost  unknown  West. 

The  world  has  seen  many  and  wonderful  migrations. 
One  of  the  most  important  of  these,  in  American  history, 
was  when  the  Pilgrims  left  England  and  settled  in  New 
England.  They  had  one  chief  object  in  leaving  home, 
position,  work  and  friends  behind.  They  came  to  a  new 
country  in  order  that  they  might  have  "  freedom  to  wor-l 
ship  God !  "  Yet  these  same  people  in  a  very  few  years,  j 
and  their  descendants  after  them,  showed  the  frailty  of 
their  human  nature  by  persecuting  those  who  differed 
from  them  in  matters  of  religion.  It  was  this  same 
desire  for  religious  freedom  that  sent  forth  the  Mormons 
to  their  new  home. 


vi  By  Way  of  Foreword 

How  important  to  the  nation  at  large  the  forced  migra- 
tion of  the  Mormons  will  be  considered  in  the  future  it 
is  not  for  me  to  forecast,  but  its  importance  to  the  State 
of  Utah  is  evident.  Without  it  there  would  have  been 
no  Utah  as  we  know  it  today.  Hence  it  will  be  apparent 
that  no  account  of  Utah  can  be  written  with  any  preten- 
tion to  comprehensiveness  that  does  not  fully  take  into 
account  Mormonism  and  all  its  chief  factors,  or  at  least 
those  that  have  influenced  the  making  of  the  State  in  the 
beginning  and  its  shaping  up  to  the  present  day. 

Leading  among  these  factors,  necessarily,  are  Joseph 
Smith,  the  founder  of  the  Mormon  system  of  religious 
belief,  Brigham  Young,  his  energetic  and  statesmanlike 
successor,  and  the  peculiar  tenets  of  the  Mormon  religion 
that  so  won  the  hearts  of  its  followers  that  they  were 
willing  to  be  led,  through  untold  hardships,  to  their  land 
of  refuge  in  the  far-away  west. 

It  is  a  self-evident  proposition  that  without  Brigham 
Young  the  Utah  we  know  would  not  exist,  and  it  is 
equally  certain  that  without  Joseph  Smith  and  his  Book 
of  Mormon,  his  "  revelations  "  and  church  organization, 
there  would  have  been  no  Brigham  Young;  nor  would 
there  have  been  a  church  of  a  "peculiar  people"  ready 
to  be  led  by  him  into  the  unknown  Land  of  Zion. 

When,  therefore,  I  avowed  my  intention  of  writing  a 
book  on  Utah  and  treating  the  subject  in  this  fashion  I 
was  not  surprised  that  various  "  cautions,"  "  sugges- 
tions "  and  "  expressions  of  doubt  "  came  to  me,  setting 
forth  that  any  truthful,  unprejudiced  and  full  statement 
of  Mormonism  would  be  regarded  by  many  as  propa- 
ganda, and  that,  furthermore,  I  must  fully  discuss  the 
unpleasant  subject  of  polygamy.  It  was  made  clear  to 
me  that  to  not  a  few  of  our  citizens,  Utah,  Mormonism 
and  polygamy  were  almost  synonymous  terms.  One 
quoted  to  me  the  following  words  from  a  recent  writer 
on  Mormonism  and  asked  whether  I  was  able  to  guar- 


By  Way  of  Foreword  vii 

an  tee  that  I  could  be  neutral  in  presenting  the  subject  in 
its  various  phases : 

"  Mormonism  is  a  system  of  large  things.  It  is  large 
in  claims,  large  in  efforts,  large  in  results,  large  in  repu- 
tation and  very  large  in  importance  if  judged  by  the 
opposition  it  has  evoked.  Like  the  man  through  whom  it 
had  its  origin  it  possesses  an  individuality  that  is  intense 
and  vital;  it  repels  and  attracts  with  equal  force.  One 
finds  difficulty  in  maintaining  a  perfectly  neutral  position 
in  treatment  of  its  claims  and  history." 

There  was  no  hesitancy  in  my  reply.  I  could  or  would 
endeavor  to  be  perfectly  neutral,  but  with  a  further  pur- 
pose, which  I  wish  my  readers  most  distinctly  to  under- 
stand. After  a  reading  of  thousands  of  pages  written 
on  Utah  and  Mormonism,  I  found  so  much  of  fierce  con- 
troversy, either  for  or  against  the  Mormon  system  and 
its  leaders,  that  I  determined  in  this  volume  to  avoid 
argument,  to  let  Mormonism  speak  for  itself  as  much  as 
possible  and  let  my  readers  form  their  own  conclusions. 
Hence  in  reading  the  following  chapters  dealing  with 
Mormonism,  its  prophet,  its  organization,  its  achieve- 
ments, etc.,  it  must  clearly  be  understood  that  I  have 
sought  to  present  these  subjects  from  the  Mormon  stand- 
point. Every  honest  reader  should  be  willing  to  seek  to 
know  the  Mormons'  own  explanations  of  the  origin  of 
their  religion,  the  strange  features  of  their  belief  and  the 
reasons  for  the  great  antagonisms  that,  more  particularly 
in  the  past,  have  swept  over  them.  I  have  s'^ught  to  be 
impartially  honest  in  my  presentations.  Occasionally, 
however,  I  have  not  hesitated  to  express  my  opinion  and, 
while  I  am  not  a  Mormon,  while  I  do  not  accept  for 
myself  the  "  Special  Revelations  "  that  came  through  the 
Mormon  prophet,  Joseph  Smith,  while  I  am  not  and 
never  have  been  a  believer  in,  or  advocate  of  polygamy, 
while,  personally,  I  think  the  Mormon  religion  is  a 
material  one  in  some  respects,  while  I  do  not  like  its  atti- 


viii  By  Way  of  Foreword 


tilde  toward  women,  making  them  subservient  to  men 
both  here  and  in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven;  and  while 
personally,  I  feel  that  Mormonism  is  but  another  sect 
added  to  the  many  that  already  exist  in  the  world, 
instead  of  being  the  one  sole,  only,  divinely  appointed 
church,  these  are  my  personal  opinions  and  should  have 
nothing  whatever  to  do  with  my  presentation  of  what 
Mormonism  is  to  the  Mormons.  Should  any  of  my 
statements  be  regarded  by  some  as  defence  of  Mormon- 
ism let  it  clearly  be  understood  that  such  is  not  my  pur- 
pose. Let  it  stand  upon  its  own  merits.  Let  it  prove 
its  own  justification  or  otherwise.  The  one  sole  respon- 
sibility w'ith  which  my  conscience  is  charged  is  that  I 
give  a  truthful  and  reasonably  complete  presentation  of 
Mormonism  from  the  Mormon  standpoint  without 
prejudice  or  bias.     And  who  is  to  be  the  final  judge? 

"Now,  who  shall  arbitrate? 
Ten  men  love  what  I  hate, 
Shun  what  I  follow,  slight  what  I  receive; 
Ten,  who  in  ears  and  eyes 
Match  me ;  we  all  surmise, 
They  this  thing,  and  I  that ;  whom  shall  my  soul  believe?" 

It  is  my  fate,  as  it  is  that  of  all  men  and  women,  to 
live  in  this  world  of  different  beliefs,  to  have  to  meet 
with  people  holding  entirely  contrary  opinions  to  my  own. 
Is  it  not  wise,  therefore,  and  right,  that  1  seek  to  live  in 
harmony  and  peace  with  them  as  far  as  is  possible  to  me ; 
and,  while  I  cannot  accept  their  beliefs,  to  be  as  kindly 
disposed  towards  them  and  as  scrupulously  honest  and 
just  in  seeing  the  good  in  them  as  I  can.  This  is  my 
attitude  and  endeavor. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  enter  into  any  analysis  or  dis- 
cussion of  mooted  and  unsettled  questions.  Who  can 
determine  the  truth  of  a  claim  of  inspiration?      Were 


By  Way  of  Foreword ix 

Joseph  Smith  and  Brigham  Young  and  their  co-laborers 
impostors?  Personally  I  am  not  concerned  about  answer- 
ing the  question,  any  more  than  I  am  about  determining 
whether  St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  St.  Anthony  of  Padua, 
John  Wesley,  William  Penn,  Mary  Baker  Eddy,  Annie 
Besant,  Katherine  Tingley,  or  Ellen  G.  White  were  or 
are  impostors.  Christ  gave,  in  His  day,  a  pretty  good 
standard  by  which  to  judge  the  claims  of  men  and 
women :  "  By  their  fruits  shall  ye  know  them."  I 
judge  St.  Francis,  Wesley,  and  the  rest  by  their  fruits, 
and  in  looking  at  the  Utah  of  today  I  find  fruits  of  happi- 
ness, of  state  stability,  of  genuine  and  practical  religion 
and  of  real  progress. 

But  regardless  of  Mormonism,  Utah  as  a  country  is 
well  worthy  the  careful  attention  of  all  thoughtful 
Americans.  Geologically  it  is  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing states  in  the  Union, —  its  Great  Salt  Lake,  with  its 
prehistoric  terraces;  its  relation  to  the  vast  prehistoric 
inland  sea;  its  wonderful  fossil  deposits  of  gigantic 
dinosaurs;  its  San  Rafael  Swell;  its  Hurricane  Fault;  its 
glorious  and  spectacular  towers  of  the  Rio  Virgen;  its 
Zion  National  Park;  its  Bryce  Canyon;  its  South-East- 
ern  desert ;  its  colossal  Natural  Bridges ;  its  canyons, 
tributary  to  the  Grand  Canyon  of  the  Colorado;  its 
stupendous  and  majestic  mountain  chains,  scored  with 
centuries  of  glaciation,  seamed  with  rugged,  picturesque, 
and  alluring  canyons,  and  dotted  here  and  there  with 
mountain  lakes  —  eyes  of  clearest  crystal ;  together  with 
its  unique  mines  —  these  amply,  though  the  list  is  far 
from  complete,  justify  my  assertion. 

Climatically,  also,  it  is  remarkable.  While  a  large 
part  of  its  area  is  fully  4,000  feet  above  sea-level,  and 
therefore  partakes  of  an  inland  plateau  character,  its 
mountains  tower  to  over  12,000  feet  into  the  clear  blue, 
where  the  coldest  temperatures  are  found,  and  yet  on  the 
south-eastern  and  south-western  deserts  the  same  kind  of 


X  By  Way  of  Foreword 

climate  and  temperature  may  be  found  as  reign  in  the 
Mohave  and  Colorado  deserts  of  Southern  California. 

Then,  too,  as  the  sub-title  suggests,  it  is  a  Land  of 
Blossoming  Valleys.  Brigham  Young  had  the  prophecies 
as  to  the  desert  blossoming  as  the  rose  well  before  him 
during  the  whole  of  his  career,  and  one  after  another  he 
saw  the  Valleys  of  the  Jordan,  the  Provo,  the  Weber, 
the  Ogden,  the  Bear,  the  Sevier  and  the  Virgin  occupied 
by  his  indefatigable  bands  of  pioneers,  and  there  speedily 
sprang  into  existence  great  fields  of  waving  grain,  wheat, 
oats,  barley,  and  rye,  green  areas  of  alfalfa,  widely 
flung  acres  of  sugar  beets,  mile  after  mile  of  potatoes, 
sorghum,  corn,  milo-maize,  cabbages,  squash,  pumpkins, 
melons  and  the  like,  while  in  every  direction  thousands 
of  healthy  milk-cows  and  herds  of  beef -cattle,  horses  and 
mules  waded  shoulder  deep  in  richest  pasture,  and 
immense  flocks  of  sheep  and  goats  cropped  the  verdure 
and  browse  of  the  foothills.  Then  the  orchards !  Who 
that  has  seen  the  heavily-laden  peach,  apricot  and  espe- 
cially the  cherry  trees  of  Utah  can  ever  forget  them, — 
fruit,  rich  and  luscious,  fit  for  the  gods,  in  appearance, 
flavor,  and  the  satisfaction  they  give.  Apples,  pears, 
quinces,  and  plums,  together  with  raspberries,  black- 
berries, and  gooseberries  also  thrive  abundantly  through- 
out a  large  part  of  the  state,  while  in  the  oases  found  in 
the  desert  region  of  the  south  the  fig,  pomegranate,  and 
other  sub-tropical  fruits  grow  with  a  richness  and  pro- 
fusion not  surpassed  anywhere. 

But  it  must  not  be  thought  that  all  the  development  of 
the  state  has  been  done  alone  by  the  Mormons.  While 
it  is  freely  conceded  that  it  was  Brigham  Young's  pur- 
pose to  keep  Gentiles  —  as  all  outside  the  pale  of  the 
Mormon  Church  are  called  —  out  of  the  state,  and  while 
mining  was  frowned  upon  for  many  years, —  as  experi- 
ence had  shown  that  a  successful  mining-camp  of  any 


By  Way  of  Foreword  xi 

kind  always  attracted  the  dregs  of  humankind, —  Gentiles 
did  drift  into  the  state,  and  men,  even  Mormons,  would 
engage  in  mining.  Then,  too,  a  few  who  had  "  aposta- 
tized," or  relinquished  the  faith,  insisted  upon  remaining 
in  the  land  they  had  learned  to  love,  and  these  soon  took 
their  part  in  the  general  work  of  upbuilding  and  progress. 
Then,  when  the  great  transcontinental  railway  system 
was  completed  by  the  joining  of  the  Union  and  Central 
Pacific  lines,  which  crossed  northern  Utah,  that  in  itself 
threw  open  the  gates,  and  from  that  time  on  Gentiles 
mixed  freely  with  Mormons,  settled  and  engaged  in  their 
various  businesses,  trades  and  avocations  as  they  have 
ever  done  in  the  freest  countries  in  the  world.  And  that 
is  the  state  of  affairs  in  Salt  Lake  City  today.  No  one 
questions  that  it  took  some  time  to  attain  the  final  adjust- 
ments :  but  what  of  that  ?  Are  other  cities  free  from 
cliques,  factions  and  interests  or  groups  that  seek  to 
dominate?  And  it  may  as  well  be  confessed  that,  in 
many  of  the  smaller  towns  and  villages  of  the  state,  the 
amalgamation  of  Mormon  and  Gentile  is  not  yet  com- 
plete. The  Mormons  are  in  the  majority,  and,  naturally, 
might  be  expected  to  control.  Yet  it  is  a  well-known 
fact  that  a  disproportionately  large  share  of  public  ofiices 
for  some  time  have  been  and  are  held  by  non-members 
of  the  church.  There  can  be,  therefore,  no  justice  in  the 
oft-made  assertion  that  official  Mormondom  uses  its 
power  and  influence  to  control  local  politics.  And  even 
were  it  so,  is  it  not  exactly  what  the  other  side  would  do 
were  it  in  power?  It  is  only  when  a  deep  spirit  of  civic 
liberty  is  developed  that  our  citizenship  can  rise  above 
"  party  politics  "  and  a  practical  belief  in  the  political 
axiom  that  "  to  the  victors  belong  the  spoils."  No 
political  party  that  has  yet  existed  either  in  Utah  or  any- 
where in  the  United  States  can  throw  a  stone  at  the 
Mormons  in  this  regard. 


XI  i  By  Way  of  Foreword 

Referring  to  these  country  towns  and  settlements : 
it  is  astonishing  to  one  who  does  not  understand  how 
they  came  into  existence,  to  find  how  marvelously  differ- 
ent, how  individualistic,  they  are.  This  came  from  the 
deliberate  planning  of  the  great  state-builder,  Brigham 
Young.  As  converts  came  pouring  into  Zion  from  all 
over  Europe,  he  largely  segregated  them  into  nationali- 
ties or  types,  with,  of  course,  carefully  chosen  men  of  his 
own  training,  where  possible,  for  leaders,  and  sent  the 
Swedes  into  one  valley,  the  Norwegians  into  another, 
and  the  French,  Swiss,  English  and  Dutch  —  each  of  his 
kind  to  his  own  place.  No  hard  and  fast  rule,  however, 
obtained  in  this  matter,  consequently  many  immigrants 
settled  when,  where  and  how  they  would  according  to 
their  own  sweet  will,  yet  the  principle  will  be  found 
exemplified  in  many  towns. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  work  I  have  received  a  great 
deal  of  kindly  help  from  a  variety  of  sources.  Mormon 
and  non-Mormon.  The  library  of  the  Church  of  Latter- 
Day  Saints  was  freely  placed  at  my  disposal,  with  its 
hundreds  of  books  antagonistic  to  Mormonism,  as  well 
as  those  favoring  it.  The  professors  of  the  State  Uni- 
versity and  other  educational  institutions,  the  State 
Officials,  the  District  Forester  of  the  U.  S.  Forest  Ser- 
vice, the  Manager  of  the  Strawberry  Project  of  the  U.  S. 
Reclamation  Service,  were  all  generous  and  kind  in  their 
assistance.  Especially,  however,  do  I  wish  to  record  my 
thanks  to  Dr.  Charles  Griffen  Plummer,  about  whom  I 
have  written  more  fully  in  a  chapter  devoted  to  his  work 
among  the  boys  and  birds  of  Utah,  and  to  Leroi  C.  Snow, 
son  of  former  president  Lorenzo  Snow,  of  the  Mormon 
Church,  who  added  to  his  helpfulness  in  seeking  to  put 
me  in  touch  with  all  who  could  aid  me  in  my  work,  a 
sympathetic  tenderness,  when  I  was  ill  and  suffering,  that 
could  not  have  been  surpassed  by  one  of  my  own  sons. 

If  in  this  volume  T  have  helped  remove  any  unfounded 


By  Way  of  Foreword 


Xlll 


prejudice,  and  at  the  same  time  have  given  a  fairly  com- 
prehensive view  of  the  Utah  of  today,  then  indeed  shall  I 
add  gratitude  to  the  pleasure  that  I  have  had  in  vi^riting  it. 


Salt  Lake  City,  July,  1921, 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

I. 

II. 
^III. 

IV. 

^    V. 

^  VI. 

-'VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XL 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX. 

XXI. 

XXII. 


By  Way  of  Foreword 
General  Glimpses  of  the  Land 
The  Ancient  Inhabitants  of  Utah  . 
Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mor- 
MONISM 

Brigham  Young,  Religionist  and  States- 
man   

Out  of  Great  Tribulation 

Building  a  State         .... 

Polygamy  in  Utah     .... 

The  Salt  Lake  Theater    . 

Education  in  Utah    .... 

The  Geology  of  Utah 

The  Opalescent  Valley — Zion  National 
Park 

Bryce  Canyon,  an  Amphitheater  of 
Erosion 

Modern  Irrigation  and  THfi  Mormons 

Mines  and  the  Ore  Deposits  of  Utah 

The  National  Forests  of  Utah 

The  Colossal  Natural  Bridges  of  Utah 

Bird  Life  in  Utah      .... 

A  Western  Physician-Naturalist   . 

Utah^s  Influence  Upon  Literature 

The  Artists  and  Sculptors  of  Utah 

Salt  Lake  City 

Railways  in  Utah      .... 


PAGE 
V 

I 

31 

47 

82 

98 

107 

119 

135 

146 

155 
169 

193 

195 
206 

216 

235 
246 

260 
269 
288 
308 
324 


XV 


xvi  Contents 


rHAPTER  PAGE 

Appendices  : 

I.     The    Organization    of    the    Mormon 

Church 328 

II.     The  Peculiar  Doctrines  of  Mormonism  343 

III.     The  Mormon  Missionary  System       .         .  352 

Bibliography 359 

Index 361 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

— ♦ — 

PAGE 

ZioN  Canyon  (In  full  color)  (See  page  i86)     Frontispiece 

MAP  OF  UTAH i 

Mount  Timpanogos 4 

Salt  Beds,  Great  Salt  Lake 7 

Saltair  Beach  and  Pavilion,  Great  Salt  Lake      .  9 

Emigration  Canyon li— 

Black  Rock,  Great  Salt  Lake 15 

Mormon  Temple,  St.  George 26 

Cliff  Dwellings,  La  Sal  National  Forest  .  .  33 
Joseph   Smith,  Jr.,  the  Founder  of  Mormonism 

(In  ftill  color) 47 

John  Taylor,  Third  President  of  the  Mormon 

Church 78 

Brigham  Young,  Second  President  of  the  Mormon 

Church 84 

"The  Salt  Lake  Trail"  (In  full  color)   .        .       .  loi 

Old  State  House,  Fillmore 109 

Lorenzo  Snow,  Fifth  President  of  the  Mormon 

Church 123 

Wilford    Woodruff,    Fourth    President    of   the 

Mormon  Church 131 

The  Old  Salt  Lake  Theater,  Salt  Lake  City        .  145 

State  Agricultural  College,  Logan  ....  147 

East  Side  High  School,  Salt  Lake  City  .  .  .  151 
University  of  Utah,  Salt  Lake  City  .  .  .153 
Wasatch   Mountains  from   Liberty   Park,   Salt 

Lake  City 156 

A  Glacial  Lake  in  the  Wasatch  Range  (In  full 

color) 158 

xvii 


xviii  List  of  Illustrations 

PAGE 

Entrance  to  Zion  Canyon 169 

East  Temple,  ZioN  Canyon 175 

The  Mountain  of  the  Sun,  Zion  Canyon        .        .  177 

The  Guardian,  Looking  Down  Zion  Canyon  .       .  183 

The  Great  White  Throne,  Zion  Canyon        .       .  186 

Carvings  of  the  Ages,  Bryce  Canyon        .       .       .  193 

Laying  Irrigation  Pipes,  Powell  National  Forest  201 

Sugar  Beet  Field 204 

Camping  in  the  Cache  National  Forest  .  .  .  218 
A  Forest  Ranger's  Corral  in  a  Utah  National 

Forest 221 

Temple  of  Latter  Day  Saints,  Logan      .       .       .  224 

Old  Mill  on  City  Creek,  Near  Salt  Lake  City  .  226 
Stand  of  Engelmann   Spruce,   Uinta   National 

Forest 229 

Temples  of  the  Gods,  Bryce  Canyon  .       .       .       .  231 

Trophies  from  Fish  Lake 235 

Caroline,  or  Katchina,  Natural  Bridge  .  .  .  239 
The    Augusta,    or    Shipapu,    Colossal    Natural 

Bridge  (In  full  color) 242 

Pelicans  on  Hat  Island,  in  Great  Salt  Lake      .  255 

Young  Heron,  Great  Salt  Lake        ....  257 

Se.\-Gulls  on  Hat  Island,  in  Great  Salt  Lake  .  267 
Old  White  House,  First  Residence  of  Brigham 

Young,  Salt  Lake  City 277 

Monument  Park,  in  Southeastern  Utah  (In  full 

color) 289 

Cyrus  E.  Dallin,  Sculptor 299 

"Medicine  Man"  —  By  Cyrus  E.  Dallin  .  .  304 
"  Pool    of    Enchantment  "  —  By    Melvin    Earl 

Cummings 306 

City  and  County  Building,  Salt  Lake  City  .  .  310 
The  Temple  Grounds,  Salt  Lake  City   (In  full 

color) 313 

The  Sea-Gull  Monument,  in  the  Temple  Grounds, 

Salt  Lake  City 317 


List  of  Illustrations  xix 

PAGE 

Eagle  Gate,  with  the  State  Capitol  in  the  Back- 
ground, Salt  Lake  City 319 

Utah  State  Capitol  Building,  Salt  Lake  City  .  321 

Hotel  Utah,  Salt  Lake  City 323 

General  View  of  Salt  Lake  City  (In  full  color)  .  327 
Heber  J.  Grant,  Seventh  and  Living  President  of 

the  Mormon  Church 332 

Joseph  F.  Smith,  Sixth  President  of  the  Mormon 

Church 348 

Mormon  Temple,  Manti 353 


UTAH,  THE  LAND 
OF  BLOSSOMING  VALLEYS 


CHAPTER  I 

GENERAL    GLIMPSES    OF    THE   LAND 

It  will  be  well  before  we  attempt  a  study  of  the  history 
of  Utah  to  take  a  general  survey  of  the  state,  and  also 
indulge  in  some  specific  verbal  pictures  which  will  give  a 
good  idea  of  what  is  contained  within  its  boundaries. 
First,  the  general  overlook,  for  the  condensed  facts  of 
which  I  am  indebted  to  The  Ore  Deposits  of  Utah,  pub- 
lished by  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey.  The  specific 
descriptions  are  from  various  writers  and  will  thus  give 
a  taste  of  their  literary  quality,  as  well  as  reveal  the 
impressions  the  country  made  upon  them. 

From  our  general  reading  and  travel  we  know  that 
Utah  is  a  land  of  high  mountains,  deep  valleys,  far- 
stretching  high  plateaus,  fertile  meadows,  sandy,  desolate 
deserts,  rich  forests,  bare,  wind-swept  areas  of  solid 
rock,  where  tower  monuments  more  striking  and  won- 
derful than  all  the  other  natural  rock-carvings  of  the  rest 
of  the  United  States  combined,  great  salt  lakes,  exquisite 
fresh  water  lakes,  streams  that  flow  through  miles  and 
miles  of  farms  and  orchards,  and  other  streams  that  flow 
through  miles  of  shut-in  canyons,  where  no  eye  ever 
gazes  save  those  of  a  curious  cowboy  or  a  searching 
Indian.     Some  of  its  canyons  are  the  most  beautiful  the 

I 


-  Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

eye  of  man  ever  gazed  upon ;  some  of  its  wind-swept 
areas  the  most  desolate.  In  the  "  Land  of  the  Standing 
Rocks  "  one  is  awed  by  the  carving  forces  of  the  sand- 
laden  wind,  and  in  the  "  Land  of  the  Colossal  Natural 
Bridges  "  an  equal  sense  of  awe  comes  from  the  majesty 
of  the  structures,  and  a  realization  of  the  forces  that  have 
created  them. 

Looking  over  the  state  as  a  whole,  one  soon  realizes 
that  Utah  lies  both  in  the  Plateau  and  the  Great 
Basin  provinces  of  the  Cordilleran  region.  It  therefore 
possesses  a  great  variety  of  geographic  and  climatic 
features.  Altitudes  and  temperatures  vary  considerably, 
from  semi-frigid  to  semi-tropical,  and  the  rainfall  is 
equally  varied.  These  conditions  naturally  have  exerted 
a  marked  influence  in  the  development  of  the  industries 
of  the  state. 

Draw  a  curved  line  of  gentle  westward  concavity  from 
about  the  middle  of  the  northern  boundary  to  the  south- 
western corner  of  Utah  and  you  have  the  most  important 
physiographic  frontier  of  the  State.  The  country  west 
of  this  line  is  almost  entirely  within  the  Great  Basin, 
while  the  country  on  the  other  side  is  largely  in  the 
Plateau  province,  so  called  by  Major  J.  W.  Powell, 
though  it  is  not  all  plateau  by  any  means. 

The  Great  Basin  has  no  outlet  to  the  sea,  and  is 
topographically  characterized  by  the  alternation  of  rela- 
tively broad,  coalescing  desert  valleys  with  relatively 
narrow  mountain  ranges  of  general  north-south  trendr\ 
Except  the  Raft  River  Mountains,  which  lie  on  the 
northern  border,  and  have  an  irregular  east-west  trend, 
the  other  mountains  of  western  Utah  are  typical  in  trend 
and  form.  They  rise  like  islands  and  peninsulas  above  a 
desert  floor,  large  parts  of  which  appear  almost  as  level 
as  a  sea.  The  broadest  open  portion  of  this  surface,  the 
'Great  Salt  Lake  Desert,  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  arid 
plains  in  the  whole  Great  Basin,  even  as  the  Great  Salt 


G-eneral  Glimpses  of  the  Land 


Lake  is  by  far  the  largest  of  the  saline  lakes  in  which  the 
rivers  of  that  province  generally  terminate. 

Despite  the  apparent  flatness  of  the  desert  floor,  its 
elevation  ranges  from  about  4,300  feet  at  the  shore  of  jf" 
Salt  Lake  to  nearly  6,000  feet  at  the  head  of  Escalante 
Desert.  It  rises  gradually  southward  as  a  whole,  and 
the  border  of  each  desert  valley  slopes  gently  towards  the 
bordering  mountains.  There  are  but  few  trenches  in  the 
broad  valley  floors  as  only  few  streams  reach  them, 
though  their  borders  are  diversified  by  the  erosive  work 
of  the  mountain  streams,  and  in  places  by  the  abandoned 
shore  features  of  the  prehistoric  lake,  called  by  the 
scientists,  Lake  Bonneville,  of  which  Great  Salt  Lake  is 
the  shrunken  remnant.  Some  of  the  isolated  mountain 
ridges  rise  4,000  to  5,000  feet  above  the  general  surface 
of  the  desert,  and  some  of  their  highest  peaks  are  more 
than  12,000  feet  above  sea  level.  Their  high  and  "^"^ 
narrow  form  necessarily  makes  their  topography  rude 
and  rugged. 

The  eastern  section  is  far  more  diversified  than  the 
western.  Viewed  in  a  broad  way  it  may  be  regarded  as 
rolling  upland,  and  classed  as  a  plateau  country,  for, 
although  a  large  part  of  its  surface  is  below  the  level  of 
the  Escalante  Desert,  all  of  its  western  margin  stands 
above  the  desert  floor  of  the  Great  Basin.  Two  great 
mountain  ranges,  the  Wasatch  and  Uinta,  also  disturb  ^^j^:: — ■ 
the  plateau  classification.  The  former,  which  rise 
directly  from  the  eastern  limit  of  the  Great  Basin,  extend 
from  southern  Idaho  to  the  town  of  Nephi,  near  the 
center  of  Utah.  The  Uintas  nearly  meet  the  Wasatch 
about  southeast  of  Salt  Lake  City  and  extend  eastward 
into  Wyoming  and  Colorado,  the  two  ranges  running 
almiost  at  right  angles  to  each  other. 

Unlike  the  desert  floor  of  the  Great  Basin  the  Plateau 
region  is  deeply  seamed  with  rivers,  the  deepest  being  the    -4 — 
Green  and  Colorado  Rivers  at  the  southern  boundary. 


4  Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

Here  great  canyons  are  cut,  the  one  below  Kaiparowits 
Plateau  being  about  4,000  feet  deep  below  its  rim.  A 
few  mountains,  like  the  Navaho,  and  the  Henry,  Abajo, 
and  La  Sal  groups,  send  their  knob-like  summits  to  the 
sky  and  thus  diversify  the  plateau  level.  The  Uinta  is  a 
far  more  simple  range  than  the  Wasatch,  having  been 
produced  principally  along  an  east  and  west  uplift,  so 
that  the  typical  cross-section  is  a  flat-topped  but  rather 
steep-sided  arch.  In  its  axial  part,  broad  glaciated  amphi- 
theatres and  canyons  alternate  with  flat  or  acute  ridges 
and  summits,  many  of  which  are  more  than  13,000  feet 
above  sea  level.  It  has  a  well  defined  western  terminus 
at  Kamas  Prairie.  On  the  other  hand  the  Wasatch 
consists  of  three  sections  of  markedly  different  character. 
The  Southern  is  a  curving  row  of  lofty  peaks  and  ridges 
which  rise  abruptly  both  from  the  valley  floor  on  the 
west,  and  the  plateau  surface  on  the  east,  and  which  are 
separated  from  each  other  by  canyons  that  head  far  east- 
ward. The  highest  mountain  of  this  section  is  Timpa- 
nogos,  which  reaches  11,957  feet  above  sea-level,  and 
more  than  7,000  feet  above  the  town  of  Pleasant  Grove, 
which  lies  at  its  base.  This  southern  section  of  the 
Wasatch  terminates  at  the  canyon  of  the  American  Fork. 
Hence  to  the  Weber  River  is  the  Middle  Wasatch,  which 
is  distinctively  different  from  the  Southern,  in  that,  like 
most  mountain  ranges,  it  has  a  persistent  main  divide, 
viz.,  the  watershed  that  parts  the  tributaries  of  Weber 
and  Provo  Rivers  from  the  short  streams  that  reach  the 
Great  Basin  more  directly.  The  loftiest  part  of  this 
middle  section  —  that  lying  south  of  Salt  Lake  City  — 
resembles  the  Southern  Wasatch  in  that  its  highest  peaks 
lie  west  of  the  main  divide  and  rise  abruptly  from  the 
valley,  but  these  peaks  do  not  form  a  prominent  row  and 
are  connected  with  the  divide  by  nearly  level  spurs.  The 
highest  summits  are  about  11,000  feet  high.  The  east 
side  of  this  broad,  massive,  rugged  portion  of  the  range 


MOUNT   TIMPANOGOS, 


General  Glimpses  of  the  Land 


descends  about  3,000  feet  or  more  to  the  prairie  zone  that 
separates  it  from  the  Uintas.  North  of  Salt  Lake  City 
the  divide  Hes  further  west,  is  considerably  lower  than 
to  the  south,  and  is  really  nothing  more  than  the  western 
edge  of  the  deeply  dissected  Wyoming  Basin. 

The  Northern  Wasatch,  which  extends  from  Weber 
River  into  southern  Idaho,  has  two  branches,  that  are 
separated  by  the  broad  Logan  Valley,  The  western 
branch,  which  is  the  Wasatch  proper,  is  a  narrow  ridge 
that  is  about  10,000  feet  in  maximum  height,  but  becomes 
lower  and  less  continuous  northward.  The  eastern 
branch  is  commonly  known  as  the  Bear  River  Range. 
It  maintains  more  uniformly  the  level  of  about  10,000 
feet,  and  merges  rather  gradually  on  the  east  with  the 
upland  margin  of  the  Wyoming  Basin. 

The  drainage  of  Utah  is  most  peculiar,  especially  in 
the  eastern  section,  of  which  the  Grand  and  Green  Rivers 
forming  the  Colorado  are  the  main  streams.  In  reality 
Green  River  might  well  be  called  an  upper  branch  of  the- 
Colorado.  The  tributaries  of  the  Green  drain  the  greater 
part  of  both  flanks  of  the  Uintas.  The  largest  of  these 
are  the  Fremont,  San  Juan  and  Virgin  Rivers.  The 
longest  stream  that  flows  from  the  eastern  section  of 
Utah  to  the  Great  Basin  is  Bear  River,  which  rises  in  the 
southwestern  corner  of  the  Wyoming  Basin,  flows 
northward  into  Idaho,  turns  abruptly  southward  into 
Utah,  and  finally  empties  into  Great  Salt  Lake.  Other 
streams  that  flow  from  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  or  the 
plateaus,  to  the  Great  Basin  are  the  Ogden,  Weber, 
Provo,  Spanish  Fork,  and  Sevier.  All  these  rivers, 
except  the  Sevier,  cut  across  the  Wasatch  Range,  whose 
east  flank  is  drained  by  them,  its  run-off  thus  being 
wholly  tributary  to  the  Great  Basin.  The  Jordan  is 
another  stream  that  flows  from  Utah  Lake  to  Great 
Salt  Lake. 


6  Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

The   extreme   northwestern   part   of   the   state   drains 
through  Raft  River  into  Snake  River. 
-^      The  climatic  conditions  of  Utah  are  found  more  in  alti- 
tude than  in  latitude.    There  are  no  extremes  of  heat  or 
cold  in  the  Great  Basin  region,  though  in  the  lower  valleys 
the  summer  heat  is  sometimes  disagreeably  high.     A  de- 
liciously  moderate  summer  temperature,  however,  can  be 
found  in  the  mountains.    Cold  in  winter  is  rarely  extreme. 
Precipitation  also  varies  largely  according  to  altitude,  the 
-  greatest  rainfall  seldom  reaching  25  inches,  while  over 
very  large  areas,  east  and  west,  from  five  to  ten  inches  is 
the  average. 
r       The  soil  of  Utah,  generally,  is  fertile,  except  where 
1    alkali  abounds.     Timber  is  abundant  on  the  mountains, 
^1    the  valleys  are  well  clothed  in  native  grasses,  while,  of 
course,    on   the    desert   areas,    sagebrush,    rabbit    brush, 
creosote  brush,  cactus  and  like  plants  that  require  little 
water  abound. 

In  the  chapters  on  the  general  development  of  the  state, 
and  that  on  irrigation,  it  has  been  shown  that  there  is  con- 
siderable agriculture.  The  Sevier  and  Sanpete  Valleys 
are  exceedingly  fertile.  Cultivation  without  irrigation,  or 
"  dry  farming,"  as  it  is  called,  has  been  successfully  car- 
ried on  in  the  higher  areas,  though  it  has  not  been  at- 
tempted on  so  large  a  scale  as  it  ultimately  will  be.  The 
former  president  of  the  State  University,  Dr.  John  A. 
Widtsoe,*  has  made  an  especial  study  of  this  question  and 
his  books  are  regarded  as  advanced  standards. 

The  question  of  transportation  is  especially  discussed 
in  the  chapter  devoted  to  the  railways,  though  it  may  be 
here  stated  that  in  eastern  Utah  the  topography  usually  is 
not  favorable  to  cheap  railway  construction,  and  that  in 
extreme  western  Utah  there  is  no  incitement  for  such 
building.     The  mining  industry  has  materially  furthered 

•Dr.  Widtsoe  retired  from  the  presidency  of  the  State  University,  July  1,  1921,  to 
assume  his  duties  as  one  of  the  Council  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  to  which  position  he 
was  called. 


General  Glimpses  of  the  Land 


railway  construction,  and  the  building  of  the  transconti- 
nental lines  has  done  much  to  further  industry  in  certain 
parts  of  Utah,  that  otherwise  might  have  found  much 
later  development. 

While  there  has  been  considerable  hydro-electric  devel- 
opment, the  main  potential  water-power  is  scarcely 
touched.  There  are  great  possibilities,  reaching  well  up 
to  a  million  horse-power,  which,  undoubtedly,  will  ulti- 
mately be  utilized.  Much  of  this  is  found  In  small 
streams  where  individual  power-plants  for  mining  pur- 
poses may  be  installed. 

With  these  general  facts  well  in  mind  the  reader  is 
now  prepared  to  gain  specific  knowledge  of  individual 
localities. 

Doubtless  the  Great  Salt  Lake  is  the  first  natural  object 
of  interest  the  Utah  sight-seer  is  anxious  to  gaze  upon. 
Let  Samuel  Bowles,  editor  of  the  Springfield  Republican, 
who  came  out  with  Schuyler  Colfax,  Vice  President  of 
the  United  States,  and  wrote  his  experiences  in  Our  New 
West,  describe  It  for  us : 

"  This  lake  is,  indeed,  the  phenomenon  of  the  whole 
interior  basin.  It  lies  across  the  valley  fifteen  miles  from 
the  city,  Is  very  irregular  In  shape,  but  about  fifty  miles 
wide  by  a  hundred  long,  and  Salter  than  any  ocean;  so 
salt,  indeed,  that  fish  cannot  live  In  It,  that  three  quarts 
will  boil  down  to  one  quart  of  fine  pure  salt,  and  on  whose 
dense  waters  the  bather  can  float  like  a  cork,  though  the 
sharp  brine  must  be  kept  from  his  mouth  and  eyes  under 
penalty  of  severe  smarting.  High  rocky  Islands  stud  Its 
area;  under  the  free  wind  of  the  open  country  Its  waves 
have  an  ocean  roll,  and  will  breed  sea-sickness  at  short 
notice,  but  its  picturesque  surroundings,  the  superb  sun- 
sets within  Its  waters,  and  the  buoyant  brine,  all  Invite  to 
pleasure  sailing  upon  its  surface!,  What  elements  these, 
and  the  plentiful  sulphur  springs  of  the  neighboring  hills, 
and  the  charming  scenery  of  the  whole  valley,  and  espe- 


S  Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

cially  the  fine  location  and  premature  development  of  the 
city,  to  help  in  the  making  of  Salt  Lake  the  great  interior 
watering  place  of  the  Continent. 

"  When  we  came  out  of  our  bath  in  Salt  Lake,  a  thin 
crust  of  fine  salt  dried  upon  our  bodies,  and  in  rubbing 
ourselves  off  with  towels  we  had  a  most  excellent  substi- 
tute for  a  rough  flesh  brush.  .  .  .  The  country 
drained  by  the  Great  Salt  Lake  is  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  east  and  west,  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  north 
and  south.  Four  or  five  large  streams  of  fresh  water 
pour  into  it ;  and  the  facts  that  it  has  no  visible  outlet,  and 
that  its  waters  are  one-fourth  salt,  mock  science  and  make 
imagination  ridiculous.  Other  salt  is  found  in  the  coun- 
try; there  is  a  mountain  of  rock  salt  a  few  miles  away; 
and  below,  in  Arizona,  is  a  similar  mountain,  whose  salt 
is  as  pure  as  finest  glass,  and  a  beautiful  specimen  of 
which  Brigham  Young  showed  to  us." 

Burton,  in  his  City  of  the  Saints,  gives  a  vivid  picture 
of  his  approach  to  Salt  Lake  City,  and  of  his  first  glimpse 
of  the  valley  from  the  heights  of  the  Wasatch,  and  the 
second  as  he  emerged  from  Emigration  Canyon.  Both 
are  worthy  a  place  here : 

"  Today  we  are  to  pass  over  the  Wasatch,  the  last  and 
highest  chain  of  the  mountain  mass  between  Fort 
Bridger  and  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley.  Following  the 
course  of  Bauchmin's  Creek,  we  completed  the  total  num- 
ber of  fordings  to  thirteen  in  eight  miles. 

"  The  next  two  miles  were  along  the  bed  of  a  water 
course,  a  complete  fiumara,  through  a  bush  full  of  tribulus, 
which  accompanied  us  to  the  end  of  the  journey.  Pres- 
ently the  ground  became  rougher  and  steeper ;  we  alighted, 
and  set  our  beasts  manfully  against  *  Big  Mountain,' 
which  lies  about  four  miles  from  the  station.  The  road 
bordered  upon  the  wide  arroyo,  a  tumbled  bed  of  block 
and  boulder,  with  water  in  places  oozing  and  trickling 
from  beneath  the  heaps  of  rocks, —  living  fountains  these, 


General  Glimpses  of  the  Land  0 

most  grateful  to  the  parched  traveler.  The  synclinal 
slopes  of  the  chasm  were  grandly  wooded  with  hemlocks, 
firs,  balsam-pines,  and  other  varieties  of  abies,  some  taper- 
ing up  to  the  height  of  ninety  feet,  with  an  admirable  regu- 
larity of  form,  color,  and  foliage.  The  varied  hues  of  the 
quaking  asp  were  there ;  the  beech,  the  dwarf  oak,  and  a 
thicket  of  elders  and  wild  roses ;  while  over  all  the  warm 
autumnal  tints  already  mingled  with  the  bright  green  of 
summer.  The  ascent  became  more  and  more  rugged ;  this 
steep  pitch,  at  the  end  of  a  thousand  miles  of  hard  work 
and  semi-starvation,  causes  the  death  of  many  a  wretched 
animal,  and  we  remarked  that  the  bodies  are  not  inodorous 
among  the  mountains  as  on  the  prairies.  In  the  most 
fatiguing  part  we  saw  a  hand-cart  halted,  while  the  own- 
ers, a  man,  a  woman,  and  a  boy,  took  breath.  We 
exchanged  a  few  consolatory  words  with  them  and  hur- 
ried on.  The  only  animal  seen  on  the  line,  except  the 
grasshopper,  whose  creaking  wings  gave  forth  an  ominous 
note,  was  the  pretty  little  chirping  squirrel.  )  The  trees, 
however,  in  places  bore  the  marks  of  huge  talons,  which 
were  easily  distinguished  as  the  sign  of  bears.  The 
grizzly  does  not  climb  except  when  young ;  this  was  prob- 
ably the  common  brown  variety.  At  half  way  the  gorge 
opened  out,  assuming  more  the  appearance  of  a  valley: 
and  in  places,  for  a  few  rods,  were  dwarf  stretches  of 
almost  level  ground.  Toward  the  Pass-summit  the  rise  is 
sharpest ;  here  we  again  descended  from  the  wagon,  which 
the  four  mules  had  work  enough  to  draw,  and  the  total 
length  of  its  eastern  rise  was  five  miles.  Big  Mountain 
lies  eighteen  miles  from  the  city.  The  top  is  a  narrow 
crest,  suddenly  forming  an  acute,  based  upon  an  obtuse, 
angle. 

"  From  that  eyrie,  8,000  feet  above  sea-level,  the  weary 
pilgrim  first  sights  his  shrine,  the  object  of  his  long  wan- 
derings, hardships,  and  perils,  the  Happy  Valley  of  the 
Great  Salt  Lake.     The  western  horizon,  when  visible,  is 


^-^ 


10        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

bounded  by  a  broken  wall  of  light  blue  mountain,  the 
Oquirrh,  whose  northern-most  bluff  buttresses  the  south- 
ern end  of  the  lake,  and  whose  eastern  flank  sinks  in  steps 
and  terraces  into  a  river  basin,  yellow  with  the  sunlit 
golden  corn,  and  somewhat  pink  with  its  carpeting  of 
heath-like  moss.  In  the  foreground  a  semi-circular  sweep 
of  hill-top  and  an  inverted  arch  of  rocky  wall  shuts  out  all 
but  a  few  spans  of  the  valley.  These  heights  are  rough 
with  a  shaggy  forest,  in  some  places  black-green,  in  others 
of  brownish-red,  in  others  of  the  lightest  ash-color,  based 
upon  a  ruddy  soil ;  while  a  few  silvery  veins  of  snow  still 
streak  the  bare  gray  rocky  flanks  of  the  loftiest  peak. 

"  After  two  miles  of  comparatively  level  ground  we 
came  to  the  foot  of  *  Little  Mountain,'  and  descended 
from  the  wagon  to  relieve  the  poor  devils  of  mules.  The 
near  slope  was  much  shorter,  but  also  it  was  steeper  far 
than  *  Big  Mountain.'  The  counter-slope  was  easier, 
though  by  no  means  pleasant  to  contemplate  with  the 
chance  of  an  accident  to  the  brake,  which  in  all  incon- 
venient places  would  part  with  the  protecting  shoe-sole. 

"  Beyond  the  eastern  foot,  which  was  ten  miles  distant 
from  our  destination,  we  were  miserably  bumped  and 
jolted  over  the  broken  ground  at  the  head  of  Big  Canyon. 
Down  this  pass,  whose  name  is  a  translation  of  the  Yuta 
name  Obitkokichi,  a  turbulent  little  mountain  stream  tum- 
bles over  its  boulder-bed,  girt  with  the  usual  sunflower, 
vines  of  wild  hops,  red  and  white  willows,  cotton-wood, 
quaking  asp,  and  various  bushes  near  its  cool  watery  mar- 
gin and  upon  the  easier  slopes  of  the  ravine,  with  the  shin 
or  dwarf  oak  (Qiierciis  nana),  mountain  mahogany,  bal- 
sam, and  other  firs,  pines  and  cedars.  The  road  was  a 
narrow  shelf  along  the  broader  of  the  two  spaces  between 
the  stream  and  the  rock,  and  frequent  fordings  were  ren- 
dered necessary  by  the  capricious  wanderings  of  the  tor- 
rent. I  could  not  but  think  how  horrid  must  have  been  its 
appearance  when  the  stout-hearted  Mormon  pioneers  first 


General  Glimpses  of  the  Land  11 

ventured  to  thread  the  defile,  breaking  their  way  through 
the  dense  bush,  creeping  and  cHnging  Hke  flies  to  the  sides 
of  the  hills.  Even  now  accidents  often  occur;  here,  as  in 
Echo  Canyon,  we  saw  in  more  than  one  place  unmistak- 
able signs  of  upsets  in  the  shape  of  broken  spokes  and 
yoke-bows. 

"  At  one  of  the  most  ticklish  turns  Macarthy  kindly 
pointed  out  a  little  precipice  where  four  of  the  mail  passen- 
gers fell  and  broke  their  necks,  a  pure  invention  on  his 
part,  I  believe,  which  fortunately,  at  that  moment,  did  not 
reach  Mrs.  Dana'  s  ears.  He  also  entertained  us  with 
many  a  tale,  of  which  the  hero  was  the  redoubtable 
Hanks ;  how  he  had  slain  a  buffalo  bull  single-handed  with 
a  bowie-knife;  and  how,  on  one  occasion,  when  refused 
hospitality  by  his  Lamanite  brethren  he  had  sworn  to 
have  the  whole  village  to  himself,  and  had  redeemed  his 
vow  by  reappearing  in  cuerpo  with  gestures  so  maniacal 
that  the  sulky  Indians  all  fled,  declaring  him  to  be  '  bad 
medicine.'    The  stories  had  at  least  local  coloring. 

"  In  due  time,  emerging  from  the  gates,  and  portals, 
and  deep  serrations  of  the  upper  course,  we  descended 
into  a  lower  level ;  here  Big,  now  called  Emigration  Can- 
yon, gradually  bulges  out,  and  its  steep  slopes  of  grass 
and  fern,  shrubbery  and  stunted  brush,  fall  imperceptibly 
into  the  plain.  The  valley  presently  lay  full  before  our  *^ 
sight.  At  this  place  the  pilgrim  emigrants,  like  the  hajjis 
of  Mecca  and  Jerusalem,  give  vent  to  the  emotions  long 
pent  up  within  their  bosoms  by  sobs  and  tears,  laughter 
and  congratulations,  psalms  and  hysterics.  It  is  indeed  no 
wonder,  that  the  children  dance,  that  strong  men  cheer  and 
shout,  and  that  nervous  women,  broken  with  fatigue  and 
hope  deferred,  scream  and  faint;  that  the  ignorant  should 
fondly  believe  that  the  '  Spirit  of  God  pervades  the  very 
atmosphere,'  and  that  Zion  on  the  tops  of  the  mountains 
is  nearer  heaven  than  other  parts  of  earth.  In  good  sooth, 
though  uninfluenced  by  religious  fervor,  beyond  the  nat- 


12        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

ural  satisfaction  of  seeing  a  bran-new  Holy  City  even  I 
could  not,  after  nineteen  days  in  a  mail-wagon,  gaze  upon 
the  scene  without  emotion. 

"  The  sublime  and  the  beautiful  were  in  present  con- 

^  trast.    Switzerland  and  Italy  lay  side  by  side.    The  mag- 

/  nificent  scenery  of  the  past  mountains  and  ravines  still 

f   floated  before  the  retina,  as  emerging  from  the  gloomy 

depths  of  the  Golden  Pass,  —  the  mouth  of  Emigration 

Canyon  is  more  poetically  so  called,  —  we  came  suddenly 

in  view  of  the  Holy  Valley  of  the  West. 

"  The  hour  was  about  6  p.  m. ;  the  atmosphere  was 
touched  with  the  dreamy  haze,  as  it  generally  is  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  lake ;  a  little  bank  of  rose  colored  clouds, 
edged  with  flames  of  purple  and  gold,  floated  in  the  upper 
air,  while  the  mellow  radiance  of  an  American  autumn, 
that  bright  interlude  between  the  extremes  of  heat  and 
cold,  diffused  its  mild  soft  lustre  over  the  face  of  earth. 

"  The  sun,  whose  slanting  rays  shone  full  in  our  eyes, 
was  setting  in  a  flood  of  heavenly  light  behind  the  bold, 
jagged  outline  of  *  Antelope  Island,'  which,  though  dis- 
tant twenty  miles  to  the  northwest,  hardly  appeared  to  be 
ten.  At  its  feet,  and  then  bounding  the  far  horizon,  lay, 
like  a  band  of  burnished  silver,  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  that 
still,  still  innocent  Dead  Sea.  Southwestward  also,  and 
equally  deceptive  as  regards  distance,  rose  the  boundary 
of  the  Valley  plain,  the  Oquirrh  Range  sharply  silhouetted 
by  a  sweep  of  sunshine  over  its  summits,  against  the 
depths  of  an  evening  sky,  in  that  direction  so  pure,  so 
clear,  that  vision  one  might  fancy,  could  penetrate  behind 
the  curtain  into  regions  beyond  the  confines  of  man's  ken. 
In  the  brilliant  reflected  light,  which  softened  off  into  a 
glow  of  delicate  pink,  we  could  distinguish  the  lines  of 
Brigham's,*  Coon's,  and  other  canyons,  which  water  has 
traced  through  the  wooded  flanks  of  the  Oquirrh,  down  to 

This  is  an  evident  error  on  Burton's  part.  The  canyon  is  Bingham's,  not  Brig- 
barn's,  and  is  the  scene  of  the  wonderful  copper  mine  so  vividly  described  in  a  later 
quotaiion  in  Ihh  chapter. 


G-eneral  Glimpses  of  the  Land 13 

the  shadows  already  purpling  the  misty  benches  at  their 
base.  Three  distinct  and  several  shades,  light  azure,  blue, 
and  brown  blue,  graduated  the  distances,  which  extended 
at  least  thirty  miles. 

"  The  undulating  valley  plain  between  us  and  the 
Oquirrh  Range  is  12  to  15  miles  broad,  and  markedly  con- 
cave, dipping  in  the  centre  like  the  section  of  a  tunnel,  and 
swelling  at  both  edges  into  bench  lands,  which  mark  the 
ancient  bed  of  the  lake.  In  some  parts  the  valley  was 
green;  in  others,  like  the  sands  of  the  Arabian  desert, 
with  scatters  of  trees,  where  the  Jordan  of  the  West  rolls 
its  opaline  wave  through  pasture  lands  of  dried  grass 
dotted  with  flocks  and  herds,  and  fields  of  ripening  yellow 
corn.  Everything  bears  the  impress  of  handiwork,  from 
the  bleak  benches  behind  to  what  was  once  a  barren  val- 
ley in  front.  Truly  the  Mormon  prophecy  had  been  ful- 
filled :  already  the  howling  wilderness,  in  which  twelve 
years  ago  a  few  miserable  savages,  the  half-naked  Digger 
Indians,  gathered  their  grass-seed,  grasshoppers,  and 
black  crickets  to  keep  life  and  soul  together,  and  awoke 
with  their  war  cries  the  echo  of  the  mountains,  and  the 
bear,  the  wolf,  and  the  fox  prowled  over  the  site  of  a  now 
populous  city  —  '  has  blossomed  like  the  rose.' 

"  This  valley,  this  lovely  panorama  of  green,  and  azure, 
and  gold,  this  land,  fresh,  as  it  were,  from  the  hands  of 
God,  is  apparently  girt  on  all  sides  by  hills:  the  highest 
peaks,  raised  7,000  to  8,000  feet  above  the  plain  of  their 
bases,  show  by  gulches  veined  with  lines  of  snow  that 
even  in  this  season  winter  frowns  upon  the  last  smile  of 
summer. 

"  Advancing,  we  exchanged  the  rough  cahues  and  the 
frequent  fords  of  the  ravine  for  a  broad  smooth  highway, 
spanning  the  easternmost  valley-bench,  a  terrace  that 
drops  like  a  Titanic  step  from  the  midst  of  the  surround- 
ing mountains  to  the  level  of  the  present  valley-plain. 
From  a  distance,  —  the  mouth  of  Emigration  Canyon  is 


14        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

^■1.    .1—     II.—        I—  -  I  ■  ■-■■  I..--.II—    -.-I— .—  I  __  .  .__..  -^^J^  ''■ 

about  4.30  miles  from  the  city,  —  Zion,  which  is  not  on  a 
hill,  but,  on  the  contrary,  lies  almost  in  the  lowest  part  of 
the  river  plain,  is  completely  hid  from  sight,  as  if  no  such 
thing  existed.  Mr.  !Macarthy,  on  application,  pointed  out 
the  notabilia  of  the  scene. 

"  Northward,  curls  of  vapor  ascending  from  the  gleam- 
ing sheet,  the  Lake  of  Hot  Springs,  set  in  a  bezel  of  em- 
erald green,  and  bordering  by  another  lake  bench  upon 
which  the  glooms  of  evening  were  rapidly  gathering,  hung 
like  a  veil  of  gauze  around  the  waist  of  the  mountains. 
Southward  for  twenty-five  miles  stretched  the  length  of 
the  valley,  with  the  little  river  winding  its  way  like  a  sil- 
ver thread  in  a  brocade  of  green  and  gold.  The  view  in 
this  direction  was  closed  by  *  Mountain  Point,'  another 
formation  of  terraced  range,  which  forms  the  water-gate 
of  Jordan,  and  which  conceals  and  separates  the  fresh 
water  that  feeds  the  Salt  Lake,  —  the  Sea  of  Tiberias 
from  the  Dead  Sea. 

"  As  we  descend  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  we  could  look 
back  and  enjoy  the  view  of  the  eastern  wall  of  the  Happy 
Valley.  A  little  to  the  north  of  Emigration  Canyon,  and 
about  one  mile  nearer  the  settlement,  is  the  Red  Butte,  a 
deep  ravine,  whose  quarried  sides  show  mottlings  of  the 
light  ferruginous  sandstone  which  was  chosen  for  build- 
ing the  Temple  wall.*  A  little  beyond  it  lies  the  single 
City  of  the  Dead,  decently  removed  three  miles  from  the 
habitations  of  the  living,  and  farther  to  the  north  is  City 
Creek  Canyon,  which  supplies  the  Saints  with  water  for 
drinking  and  for  irrigation.  Southeast  of  Emigration 
Canyon  are  other  ravines.  Parley's,  Mill  Creek,  Great 
Cottonwood,  and  Little  Cottonwood,  deep  lines  winding 
down  the  timbered  flanks  of  the  mountains,  and  thrown 
into  relief  by  the  darker  and  more  misty  shading  of  the 
farther  flank-wall. 

•None  of  the  Red  Butte  sandstone  was  used  in  the  construction  of  the  Temple,  that 
edifice  beinj;  of  granite.  However,  sandstone  from  Rod  Butte  was  used  in  the  con- 
sfrurtion  of  the  lower  jiart  of  the  wall  enclosing  the  Temple  grounds,  which  consti- 
tute Temple  Hlock. 


G-eneral  Glimpses  of  the  Land 15 

"  The  '  Twin  Peaks/  the  highest  points  of  the  Wasatch 
Mountains,  are  the  first  to  be  powdered  over  with  the 
autumnal  snow.  When  a  black  nimbus  throws  out  these 
piles,  with  their  tilted  up  rock  strata,  jagged  edges,  black 
flanks,  rugged  brows,  and  bald  heads  gilt  by  a  gleam  of 
sunset,  the  whole  stands  boldy  out  with  that  phase  of 
sublimity  of  which  the  sense  of  immensity  is  the  principal 
element.  Even  in  the  clearest  of  weather  they  are  rarely 
free  from  a  fleecy  cloud,  the  condensation  of  cold  and 
humid  air  rolling  up  the  heights  and  vanishing  only  to  be 
renewed. 

"  The  bench  land  then  attracted  our  attention.  The  soil 
is  poor,  sprinkled  with  thin  grass,  in  places  showing  a 
suspicious  whiteness,  with  few  flowers,  and  chiefly  pro- 
ducing a  salsolaceous  plant  like  the  English  samphire.  In 
many  places  lay  long  rows  of  bare  circlets,  like  deserted 
tent-floors ;  they  proved  to  be  ant-hills,  on  which  light  gin- 
ger-colored swarms  were  working  hard  to  throw  up  the 
sand  and  gravel  that  everywhere  in  this  valley  underlie  the 
surface.  The  eastern  valley-bench,  upon  whose  western 
declivity  the  city  lies,  may  be  traced  on  a  clear  day  along 
the  base  of  the  mountains  for  a  distance  of  twenty  miles; 
its  average  breadth  is  about  eight  miles." 

The  observant  visitor  at  Salt  Lake  City  of  today  look- 
ing out  from  one  of  the  elevated  view-points  over  the  val- 
ley to  the  west  and  south,  will  see  smoke  ascending  from 
the  northern  point  of  the  Oquirrh  Range,  and  with  a  glass 
he  can  clearly  discern  in  detail  the  smoke-stacks  and  build- 
ings of  the  various  mills  of  the  Utah  Copper  Company 
and  the  great  piles  of  waste  or  dumpage.  Further  to  the 
south  his  keen  eye  may  fall  upon  what  appears  to  be  a 
bare  spot  on  the  mountains.  This  is  the  wonderful  Cop- 
per Mine,- —  in  reality  a  mountain  of  copper  —  at  Bing- 
ham, and  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  marvelous  mines 
of  the  world.    T.  A.  Richards,  Editor  of  the  Mining  and 


IG        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 


Scientific  Press,  once  wrote  a  description  for  his  paper  of 
this  mine,  a  portion  of  which  is  as  follows : 

"  The  mine  of  the  Utah  Copper  Company  is  a  moun- 
tain impregnated  with  copper  —  a  veritable  mountain  of 
ore.  Such  has  been  the  dream  of  the  prospector  from 
time  immemorial.  Mount  Morgan,  in  Queensland,  Aus- 
tralia, was  a  mountain  of  gold  ore,  in-so-far  as  its  sum- 
mit was  excavated  bodily  and  sent  to  the  mill.  .  .  . 
Mount  Lyell  and  Mount  Bischoff,  in  Tasmania,  are  the 
sites  of  big  mine-workings  that  follow  ore-bodies  rich  in 
copper  and  tin,  respectively;  Mount  Davidson  (in 
Nevada),  was  enriched  by  the  Comstock  lode,  and  the 
Rammelsberg  by  its  famous  deposit  of  silver ;  but  none  of 
these  was  a  '  mountain  of  ore '  so  truly  as  this  great 
quarry,  the  face  of  which  is  1,500  feet  in  vertical  height 
and  3,600  feet  wide  at  the  base. 

"  To  realize  the  bigness  of  the  mine,  it  is  best  to  ascend 
half-way  up  the  opposite  hill-slope,  on  the  east  side  of 
Bingham  Canyon ;  there  one  faces  the  serried  terraces  that 
mark  the  successive  slices  now  being  cut  out  of  the  mass 
of  copper-bearing  rock.     It  is  an  impressive  picture  of 
highly  organized  human  industry.     The  crest  has  been 
removed   already,    but,    foreshortened    by    distance,    the 
mountain  still  looks  like  a  pyramid,  the  levels  of  success- 
ive excavation  suggesting  the  step-like  cross-section  of 
one  of  the  famous  Egyptian  tombs.    The  outer  cover  of 
the  hill  is  colored  red,  by  oxidization;  the  mass  itself  is 
gray.     It  is  a  huge  theater,  in  which  the  actors  are  1,800 
men ;  but  so  big  is  the  stage  that  they  are  hardly  discerni- 
ble at  that  distance.     Ore-trains,  like  children's  toys  seen 
from  afar,  run  along  the  levels,  and  black  steam-shovels 
vomit  puffs  of  smoke  as  they  dig  energetically  into  the 
piles  of  broken  rock  made  by  the  blasting.     The  smoke 
from  the  engines  and  the  little  black  figures  here  and 
there  give  a  touch  of  the  infernal  to  the  picture,  but  the 
suggestion  is  contradicted  by  the  blue  sky  that  canopies 


General  Glimpses  of  the  Land 17 

the  scene.  On  top  of  the  hill,  like  a  redoubt,  is  a  tank  to 
which  water  is  brought  by  gravity  from  Middle  Canyon, 
four  miles  west,  to  be  conducted  to  the  different  levels  for 
drinking,  for  the  boilers,  and  for  other  purposes. 

"  At  noon,  from  this  point  of  vantage,  I  watched  the 
blasting.  Before  it  begins,  those  in  control  of  the  opera- 
tion on  the  various  terraces  indicate  the  fact  that  all  is 
ready  by  blowing  one  long  and  three  short  calls  from  the 
whistle  of  a  steam-shovel.  When  all,  in  turn,  have  given 
this  notification,  the  main  whistle,  blown  by  compressed 
air,  sounds  a  general  alarm,  consisting  of  an  irregular 
number  of  long  and  short  calls.  This  is  the  signal  for  the 
men  in  the  pit  to  spit  their  fuses.  As  soon  as  the  men 
on  the  level  above  see  that  the  fuses  in  the  pit  are  lighted, 
they  spit  theirs,  and  so  in  succession  up  the  series  of  levels 
or  terraces.  Meanwhile  the  main  whistle  continues  to 
sound  the  warning  at  frequent  intervals.  As  the  blasting 
is  completed  each  steam-shovel  gives  two  long  whistles, 
and  when  all  have  reported,  the  main  whistle  answers  with 
two  long  calls,  thereby  notifying  all  the  men  on  the  hill 
that  the  blasting  is  finished. 

"  First  a  series  of  shots  is  heard  in  the  pit,  these  repre- 
senting the  blasting  of  big  rocks  —  '  block-holing.'  Then 
a  less  noisy  explosion  is  followed  by  a  rush  of  broken 
rock  down  the  face  of  one  of  the  terraces.  The  most 
effective  holes  make  the  least  noise.  The  rumble  of  run- 
ning ground  is  heard  above  the  successive  explosions. 
Some  of  the  holes  emit  smoke  like  a  cannon.  Fume  and 
dust  enliven  the  scene.  Everything  is  on  a  big  scale;  as 
much  as  25,000  tons  of  ore  have  been  broken  in  one  blast, 
of  10  or  12  holes.  Soon  the  uproar  shifts  to  the  right 
shoulder  of  the  mountain  and  over  it  to  the  other  side, 
awakening  fresh  echoes  in  the  background  of  hills. 

"  South  and  eastward  the  levels  are  extended  for  the 
disposal  of  the  waste  that  is  stripped  from  above  the  ore, 
for  most  of  the  oxidized  cap  has  lost  so  much  of  its  cop- 


18        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

per  by  leaching  as  to  be  merely  an  overburden.  At  the 
beginning  of  1918,  121  acres  had  been  stripped  of  cap- 
ping, and  138  acres  additional  had  been  partly  stripped. 
The  dumps  of  waste  represent  a  face  of  serrated  ground 
almost  as  big  as  the  mine  itself. 

"  It  is  a  big  mine  in  the  open  air.  Winter  does  not 
seriously  hinder  operations;  hardly  24  hours  is  lost  per 
annum,  although  in  the  winter  of  1917,  for  half  a  shift 
during  blizzards,  it  was  impossible  to  move  the  ore-trains 
until  the  tracks  were  cleared  by  the  snowplough.  Being 
open  to  the  sky,  the  men  are  visible  all  the  time ;  this  is  not 
without  a  salutary  influence  during  labor  troubles.  There 
is  nothing  secret  about  these  al  fresco  operations,  which 
are  always  open  to  the  public  view. 

"...  The  hill  is  honey-combed  with  60  miles  of 
underground  workings,  which  were  made  chiefly  to 
explore  the  ore  body  and  to  ascertain  its  dimensions. 
.  .  .  Up  to  the  end  of  19 18  this  mine  had  produced 
80,000,000  tons  of  ore  averaging  1.4%  copper,  enabling 
the  company  to  pay  $92,015,782  in  dividends,  and  to 
accumulate  nearly  $50,000,000  in  working  capital,  thus 
showing  a  total  profit  of  $142,000,000  in  eleven  years." 

Echo  Canyon  has  been  famous  ever  since  it  was  first 
described,  and  I  know  of  no  better  description  than  that 
given  by  Burton,  in  his  City  of  the  Saints.     He  says : 

"  Beyond  the  stream  we  ascended  Yellow-Creek  Hill,  a 
steep  chain  which  divides  the  versant  of  the  Bear  River 
eastward  from  that  of  Weber  River  to  the  west.  The 
ascent  might  be  avoided  but  the  view  from  the  summit  is 
a  fine  panorama.  The  horizon  behind  us  is  girt  by  a  mob 
of  hills,  Bridger's  Range,  silver  veined  upon  a  dark  blue 
ground;  nearer,  mountains  and  rocks,  cones  and  hog- 
backs, are  scattered  about  in  admirable  confusion,  divided 
by  shaggy  rollers  and  dark  ravines  each  with  its  own  little 
water-course.  Tn  front  the  eye  runs  down  the  long  bright 
red  line  of  Echo  Canyon,  and  rests  with  astonishment 


General  Glimpses  of  the  Land 19 

upon  its  novel  and  curious  features,  the  sublimity  of  its 
broken  and  jagged  peaks,  divided  by  dark  abysses,  and 
based  upon  huge  piles  of  disjointed  and  scattered  rock. 
On  the  right,  about  half  a  mile  north  of  the  road,  and 
near  the  head  of  the  canyon,  is  a  place  that  adds  human 
interest  to  the  scene.  Cache  Cave  is  a  dark,  deep,  natural 
tunnel  in  the  rock,  which  has  sheltered  many  a  hunter  and 
trader  from  wuld  weather  and  wilder  men;  the  wall  is 
probably  of  marl  and  earthy  limestone,  whose  whiteness 
is  set  off  by  the  ochrish  brick  red  of  the  ravine  below. 

"  Echo  Canyon  has  a  total  length  of  twenty-five  to 
thirty  miles,  and  runs  in  a  southeasterly  direction  to  the 
Weber  River.  Near  the  head  it  is  from  half  to  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  wide,  but  its  irregularity  is  such  that 
no  average  breadth  can  be  assigned  to  it.  The  height  of 
the  buttresses  on  the  right  or  northern  side  varies  from 
300  to  500  feet;  they  are  denuded  and  water-washed  by 
the  storms  that  break  upon  them  under  the  influence  of 
southerly  gales;  their  strata  l^ere  are  almost  horizontal; 
they  are  inclined  at  an  angle  of  45°  and  the  strike  is 
northeast  and  southwest.  The  opposite  or  southern  flank, 
being  protected  from  the  dashing  and  weathering  of  rain 
and  wind,  is  a  mass  of  rounded  soil-clad  hills,  or  sloping 
slabs  of  rock,  earth-veiled,  and  growing  tussocks  of  grass. 
Between  them  runs  the  clear,  swift,  bubbling  stream,  in  a 
pebbly  bed  now  hugging  one,  then  the  other  side  of  the 
chasm :  it  has  cut  its  way  deeply  below  the  surface ;  the 
banks  or  benches  of  stiff  alluvium  are  not  unfrequently 
twenty  feet  high ;  in  places  it  is  partially  dammed  by  the 
hand  of  Nature,  and  everywhere  the  watery  margin  is  of 
the  brightest  green,  and  overgrown  with  grass,  nettles, 
willow  thickets,  in  which  the  hop  is  conspicuous,  quaking 
asp,  and  other  taller  trees.  Echo  Canyon  has  but  one 
fault :  its  sublimity  will  make  all  similar  features  look 
tame. 

"  We  entered  the  canyon  in  somewhat  a  serious  frame 


20        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

of  mind;  our  team  was  headed  by  a  pair  of  exceedingly 
restive  mules ;  we  had  remonstrated  against  the  experi- 
mental driving  being  done  upon  our  vile  bodies,  but  the 
reply  was  that  the  animals  must  be  harnessed  at  some  time. 
We  could  not,  however,  but  remark  the  wonderful  pic- 
turesqueness  of  a  scene,  of  a  nature  which  in  parts  seemed 
lately  to  have  undergone  some  grand  catastrophe.  The 
gigantic  red  wall  on  our  right  was  divided  into  distinct 
blocks  or  quarries  by  a  multitude  of  minor  lateral  canyons, 
which,  after  rains,  add  their  tribute  to  the  main  artery, 
and  each  block  was  subdivided  by  the  crumbling  of  the 
softer  and  the  resistance  of  the  harder  material,  a  clay 
conglomerate.  The  color  varied  in  places  from  white  and 
green  to  yellow,  but  for  the  most  part  it  was  a  dull  ochrish 
red,  that  brightened  up  almost  to  a  straw  tint  where  the 
sunbeams  fell  slantingly  upon  it  from  the  strip  of  blue 
above.  All  served  to  set  off  the  curious  architecture  of 
the  small  masses.  A  whole  Petra  was  there,  a  system  of 
projecting  prisms,  pyramids,  and  pagoda  towers,  a  variety 
of  form  that  enabled  you  to  see  whatever  your  peculiar 
vanity  might  be,  —  columns,  porticoes,  fa9ades,  and  ped- 
estals. Twin  lines  of  bluffs,  a  succession  of  buttresses 
all  fretted  and  honeycombed,  a  double  row  of  steeples 
slipped  from  perpendicularity,  frowned  at  each  other 
across  the  gorge.  And  the  wondrous  variety  was  yet 
more  varied  by  the  kaleidoscopic  transformation  caused 
by  change  of  position ;  at  every  different  point  the  same 
object  bore  a  different  aspect." 

Perhaps  the  most  interesting  of  these  peculiarly  eroded 
rocks  are  thus  described  in  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey's 
Guidebook  to  the  Overland  Route: 

"  About  two  miles  west  of  Echo  a  group  of  curious 
monument-like  rocks,  some  of  which  are  more  than  one 
hundred  feet  high  may  be  seen  to  the  right  (north)  of  the 
track,  well  u])  the  slope.  These  are  known  as  The 
Witches  and  are  remnants  formed  by  the  erosion  of  a 


General  Glimpses  of  the  Land 21 

coarse  conglomerate.  Although  any  rock  that  has  a 
fancied  resemblance  to  some  familiar  shape  is  likely  to 
attract  greater  attention  than  many  a  more  significant 
feature  of  the  landscape,  these  bizarre  monuments  are  well 
worthy  of  more  than  a  passing  glance.  The  name,  '  The 
Witches,'  is  suggested  by  the  form  of  the  cap-rock  of  one 
of  the  monuments,  which  is  shaped  something  like  the 
fabled  witch's  hat.  The  caps  are  formed  from  a  light- 
colored  band  of  conglomerate  that  is  cemented  into  a 
harder  mass  than  the  underlying  pink  conglomerate.  This 
hard  cap-rock  protects  the  underlying  beds  from  the  rain 
until  the  supporting  column,  by  slow  crumbling,  becomes 
too  slender  to  hold  it.  When  the  cap  falls  off  the  monu- 
ment soon  becomes  pointed  at  the  top  and  is  finally 
reduced  to  the  level  of  the  surrounding  country." 

Below  Echo  Canyon  is  Weber  Canyon,  the  connection 
between  the  two  being  known  as  "  The  Narrows."  Says 
the  Overland  Guide: 

"  Three  miles  west  of  Henefer  the  coarse  red  pudding- 
stone  of  the  Wasatch  beds  extends  down  to  the  river  level, 
and  the  broad  basin-like  valley  suddenly  narrows  to  a 
gorge  barely  wide  enough  for  the  river  to  pass  through. 
The  road-bed  has  been  cut  in  the  side  of  this  gorge,  and  in 
the  cuts  may  be  seen  great  boulders  of  quartzite,  some  of 
them  four  feet  in  diameter,  with  smaller  boulders,  pebbles, 
and  sand  filling  the  space  between  them.  These  materials 
are  cemented  into  the  resistant  mass  by  red  oxide  of  iron, 
which  gives  a  brilliant  color  to  the  whole  mass." 

On  emerging  from  "  The  Narrows  "  the  observant  will 
see  that  the  train  passes  through  a  long  cut  in  the  shale  in 
a  series  of  strata  which  are  all  turned  up  to  a  vertical 
position.  The  shale  is  divided  by  strata  of  limestone,  and, 
as  the  softer  shale  disintegrates  more  rapidly  under  the 
influences  of  wind  and  rain  than  the  limestone  strata,  the 
latter  are  often  left  standing  alone  as  detached  vertical 
walls.    The  most  remarkable  of  these  limestone  walls  are 


•  )•) 


Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

known  as  the  "  Devil's  Slide."  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden,  the 
head  of  the  Hayden  Geological  Survey,  w^hich  was  one  of 
the  several  independent  surveys  finally  merged  into  the 
present  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  in  a  fascinating  book  of 
description  and  photographs,  entitled  Sun  Pictures  of 
Rocky  Mountain  Scenery  thus  describes  the  Slide : 

"The  beds  of  limestone  are  from  15  to  20  feet  in 
thickness,  and  rise  to  the  height  of  1,000  feet  or  more 
upon  the  almost  perpendicular  side  of  the  mountain. 
They  appear  to  have  been  thrust  out  of  the  mountain 
side,  and  hence  many  people  have  regarded  them  as  dikes 
or  outbursts  of  igneous  material.  The  beds  of  limestone 
are  about  200  feet  apart,  and  the  immediate  space,  w^hich 
was  composed  of  softer  material,  has  been  worn  out  by 
atmospheric  agencies,  and  smoothed  down  and  grassed 
over  and  covered  with  flowers  and  small  shrubs." 

Now  let  a  novelist,  Zane  Grey,  give  us  a  picture  of  the 
desert  region  of  southeastern  Utah.  This  is  from  his 
Heritage  of  the  Desert: 

"  He  saw  a  red  world,  his  eyes  seemed  to  be  bathed  in 
blood.  Red,  scaly  ground,  bare  of  vegetation,  sloped 
down,  down,  far  down  to  a  vast  irregular  rent  in  the 
/  earth,  which  zigzagged  through  the  plain  beneath.  To  the 
right  it  bent  its  crooked  way  under  the  brow  of  a  black- 
'  timbered  plateau ;  to  the  left  it  straightened  its  angles  to 
find  a  V-shaped  vent  in  the  wall,  now  uplifted  to  a  moun- 
tain range.  Beyond  this  earth-riven  line  lay  something 
vast  and  illimitable,  a  far-reaching  vision  of  white  wastes, 
of  purple  plains,  of  low  mesas  lost  in  distance.  It  was  the 
shimmering  dust-veiled  desert." 

And  lest  one  should  think  this  description  the  pure 
imagination  of  a  romancer,  let  me  put  side  by  side  with  it 
the  description  of  a  scientist,  one  of  those  first  pioneers  of 
exact  knowledge  to  penetrate  into  the  wild  and  desert  fast- 
nesses of  Utah  and  bring  therefrom  definite  information 
as  to  what  they  were  composed  of.   This  is  a  description  of 


General  Glimpses  of  the  Land 23 

one  of  the  picturesque  portions  of  Utah,  even  yet  seldom 
seen  by  Utahns,  and  to  be  found  in  few  places  in  the 
world.  It  is  taken  from  Captain  Dutton's  Geology  of  the 
High  Plateaus  of  Utah: 

"If  we  stand  upon  the  eastern  verge  of  the  Wasatch 
Plateau  and  look  eastward,  we  shall  behold  one  of  those 
strange  spectacles  which  are  seen  only  in  the  Plateau 
Province,  and  which  have  a  peculiar  kind  of  impressive- 
ness,  and  even  of  sublimity.  From  an  altitude  of  more 
than  ii,ooo  feet  the  eye  can  sweep  a  semicircle  with  a 
radius  of  more  than  70  miles.  It  is  not  the  wonder  in- 
spired by  great  mountains,  for  only  two  or  three  peaks  of 
the  Henry  Mountains  are  well  in  view;  and  these,  with 
their  noble  Alpine  forms,  seem  as  strangely  out  of  place 
as  Westminster  Abbey  would  be  among  the  ruins  of 
Thebes.  Nor  is  it  the  broad  expanse  of  cheerful  plains 
stretching  their  mottled  surfaces  beyond  the  visible  hori- 
zon. It  is  a  picture  of  desolation  and  decay;  of  a  land 
dead  and  rotten,  with  dissolution  apparent  all  over  its  face. 
\^\^  consists  of  a  series  of  terraces,  all  inclining  upwards 
towards  the  east,  cut  by  a  labyrinth  of  deep  narrow  gorges, 
and  sprinkled  with  numberless  buttes  of  strange  form  and 
sculpture]i  We  stand  upon  the  Lower  Tertiary,  and  right 
beneath  our  feet  is  a  precipice  leaping  down  across  the 
edges  of  the  level  strata  upon  a  terrace  1,200  feet  below. 
The  cliff  on  which  we  stand  stretches  far  northward  into 
the  hazy  distance,  gradually  swinging  eastward,  and  then 
southward  far  beyond  the  reach  of  vision  and  below  the 
horizon.  It  describes,  as  we  well  know,  a  rude  semi- 
circle around  a  center  more  than  40  miles  to  the  eastward. 
At  the  foot  of  this  cliff  a  terrace  about  six  miles  wide  of 
Upper  Cretaceous  beds,  inclining  upwards  towards  the 
east  very  slightly,  and  at  that  distance  it  is  cut  off  by  a  sec- 
ond cliff,  plunging  down  1,800  feet  upon  Middle  Creta- 
ceous beds.  This  second  cliff  describes  a  smaller  semi- 
circle like  the  first  and  concentric  with  it.     From  its  foot 


1*4        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

the  strata  again  rise  gently  towards  the  east  through  a 
distance  of  ten  miles,  and  are  cut  off  by  a  third  series  of 
cliffs  as  before.  There  are  five  of  these  concentric  lines 
of  cliffs.  In  the  center  there  is  an  elliptical  area  about 
forty  miles  long  and  twelve  to  twenty  broad,  its  major 
axis  lying  north  and  south,  and  as  completely  girt  about 
by  rocky  walls  as  the  valley  of  Rasselas.  It  has  received 
the  name  of  the  San  Rafael  Swell." 

In  the  chapter  on  the  Geology  of  Utah  there  is  given  a 
fairly  complete  description,  in  popular  terms,  of  this  mar- 
velous "  Swell,"  which  so  materially  has  affected  the 
scenery  of  Utah,  and  which  has  helped  change  the  ideas 
of  geologists  over  the  world. 

Let  me  give  still  another  picture,  or  rather,  suggest  a 
changing  panorama,  which  every  rider  in  an  automobile, 
who  goes  from  Salt  Lake  City  by  the  Arrowhead  Trail 
into  southern  California,  may  enjoy. 

Soon  after  leaving  Cedar  City,  one  comes  to  the  south- 
ern rim  of  the  Great  Basin.  Here  one  is  at  an  elevation 
of  some  4,000  feet.  The  climate  is  cool ;  the  nights  cold, 
though  in  the  sunshine  of  the  middle  of  the  day  the  tem- 
perature reaches  to  85°  or  90°  F.  The  trees,  the  flowers, 
the  fields,  the  wild  country,  mountain  slopes,  etc.,  all 
speak  of  a  temperate  climate.  Then,  suddenly,  we  begin 
to  descend.  Passing  through  a  canyon  of  black  basaltic 
rock,  in  half  an  hour  the  scene  has  changed  materially. 
We  leave  the  pines,  the  cedars,  the  pinyons  behind,  and 
instead  of  cool  breezes  hot  winds  strike  us  from  either 
side.  The  vegetation  changes,  the  flowers  are  different. 
Cactus  of  varied  kinds  come  into  sight,  and  other  desert 
verdure  presents  itself.  We  have  left  the  Great  Basin 
and  have  descended  to  the  Basin  of  the  Colorado  River. 
In  many  respects  the  country  we  are  now  in  reminds  us  of 
the  Mohave  Desert,  near  Barstow.  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh 
who  came  up  from  Kanab, —  while  we  are  supposed  to  be 
traveling  down  —  gives  an  interesting  account  of  this  part 


General  Glimpses  of  the  Land 25 

of  the  country  in  Scribncr's,  January,  1904.    He  says: 

"  Close  on  our  left  lay  the  long  blue  line  of  the  Pine 
Valley  Mountains  lifting  their  snow-streaked  summits  far 
above  the  wonderful  labyrinth  of  many-colored  cliffs  and 
buttes  and  lava-beds  threaded  by  our  road,  which,  now 
rocky  and  dry,  now  sandy  and  dry,  but  ever  dry,  led  con- 
tinually up  the  deep  basin  of  the  river  Virgin.  Except 
where  water  can  be  spread  over  the  ground,  the  surface 
all  through  this  country  is  so  devoid  of  moisture  that  noth- 
ing but  plants  requiring  a  minimum  is  said  to  exist.  Vege- 
tation, therefore,  is  scattering,  aggressive,  threatening.  At 
the  same  time  one  is  surprised  by  its  abundance,  as  well  as 
by  the  richness  of  color  and  the  profusion  of  exquisite 
blossoms  in  spring,  the  varieties  of  cactus  especially  being 
laden  with  flowers  whose  tender  petals  and  soft  beauty  are 
a  marvel  in  contrast  to  the  parent  stem  as  well  as  the  cha- 
otic aridity  of  the  environment.  It  seems  as  if  a  lion  and 
a  lamb  were  verily  slumbering  at  our  feet.  And  not  only 
the  cacti,  but  the  *  live  oak '  with  its  thorn-set  leaf,  the 
rabbit-brush,  the  sage,  the  greasewood,  and  all  the  others 
have  their  blossoms,  while  in  between,  scattered  thickly 
over  the  unfriendly  earth,  are  multitudes  of  smaller  flow- 
ering plants  strange  to  all  but  the  botanical  traveler,  and 
some  of  them,  I  fancy,  still  strange  to  him,  yet  as  fascinat- 
ing as  the  pampered  products  of  a  hot-house.  But  where 
water  can  be  fed  to  the  soil  it  instantly  becomes  prolific. 
"  The  Mormons  being  past-masters  in  irrigation,  the 
rugged  land  contains  a  number  of  districts  that,  by  con- 
trast with  the  surroundings,  rival  the  Garden  of  Eden. 
Here  grapes,  peaches,  almonds,  figs,  pomegranates, 
melons,  etc.,  of  choicest  flavor  are  yielded  in  abundance. 
Every  few  miles  the  eye  is  surprised  and  gratified  by  the 
green  fields  and  foliage  of  one  of  these  bright  oases. 
Nothing  could  be  more  refreshing  than  a  sudden  encoun- 
ter with  a  broad  green  stretch  of  this  kind  after  miles 
across  arid  wastes  where  one  begins  to  imagine  meadows, 


2G         Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

farms,  and  shady  brooks  to  be  mere  phantasmagoria  — 
^vhen,  lo!  a  magic  turn  of  the  road  reveals  a  sweep  of 
emerald  with  ditches  of  dashing  water,  plume-like  poplars 
of  Lombardy,  fan-spreading  cottonwoods,  vineyards, 
roses,  peach  and  apple  orchards,  fig-trees,  long  lines  of 
acanthus,  and  all  the  surroundings  of  comfortable  coun- 
try life.  Again  a  turn,  and  the  mellow  beauty  vanishes  — 
not  a  drop  of  water  then  anywhere  in  sight.'' 

This  change  from  charming,  refreshing,  delicious  oasis 
to  immediate  desert  is  one  of  the  wonders  of  this  unique 
land.  But  my  reader  must  not  assume  that  the  word 
"  desert "  implies  nothing  of  delight.  In  my  book.  The 
Wonders  of  the  Colorado  Desert,  I  endeavored  to  express 
some  of  the  lure  one  feels  towards  such  desolate  areas. 
And  here  in  Southern  Utah,  when  night  comes,  there  is 
the  same  ineffable  sky  of  turquoise,  the  same  wonderfully 
luminous  stars;  the  same  glowing  sunsets,  and  the  same 
exquisite  satisfaction  in  sleeping  out-of-doors.  St.  George 
is  an  anomaly  to  the  rest  of  Utah.  It  is  in  as  different  a 
country  in  appearance  and  climate  from  Ogden,  say,  as 
one  can  well  conceive.  Yet  both  are  part  of  this  remark- 
able state ;  and  both  are  richly  fertile.  At  St.  George  one 
►  sees  a  land  of  fertility  and  of  plenteousness,  a  land  verily 
flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  See  the  thousands  of  con- 
tented kine  grazing  on  the  luscious  grasses  of  the  mead- 
ows, or  feeding  at  the  great  stacks  of  alfalfa  or  other  hay, 
and  these  give  their  rich  milk  by  the  millions  of  gallons 
annually.  And  on  every  hand  are  flowers  galore,  of  a 
thousand  varieties,  rich  in  nectar,  from  which  the  bees 
extract  the  most  delicious  honey  that  ever  tickled  the 
palate  of  man. 

Ride  along  with  me,  and  mile  after  mile,  you  shall  see 
fields  of  waving  grain,  in  varying  degrees  of  ripeness ; 
hundreds,  thousands,  of  acres  of  beets,  of  corn,  of  alfalfa, 
while  everywhere  are  houses,  large  and  small,  old  and 
new,  simple  and  pretentious,  surrounded  by  the  family 


.•' 


MORMON    TEMPLE,    ST.    GEORGE. 


General  G-limpses  of  the  Land  27 

orchards,  where  trees  laden  with  apples,  pears,  cherries, 
plums,  peaches,  apricots,  walnuts,  etc.,  speak  of  the  de- 
light of  the  numerous  small  boys  and  girls,  apparently  at 
home,  and  of  laden  cupboards  where  cans  of  fruit,  jars, 
preserves,  marmalades,  and  like  will  soon  repose.  The 
box-elder,  the  cottonwood,  the  Lombardy  poplar,  the 
maple,  the  elm,  and  the  acacia,  abound,  giving  interesting 
sky  lines  which  change  rapidly  as  our  auto  speeds  along. 

And  this  is  not  a  scene  confined  to  one  locality  in  Utah  : 
it  may  be  found  in  every  direction  where  water  can  be'^' 
placed  upon  the  soil.  Scores,  hundreds  of  valleys  dot  the 
whole  state ;  some  large,  some  small,  surrounded  by  moun- 
tains, or  of  lower  hills,  where  purely  pastoral  landscapes 
charm  the  eye,  the  silvery  streams  and  irrigating  ditches 
adding  their  flashing  surfaces  or  blue  stretches  to  the 
pleasing  efifect. 

Here  is  a  description  by  Stansbury,  one  of  the  earliest 
of  Utah's  explorers,  of  the  Green  River  Valley : 

"  Since  leaving  the  basin  and  entering  the  valley  of 
Green  River,  a  remarkable  change  in  the  face  of  the 
country  is  apparent.  Instead  of  the  disturbed  and  up- 
heaved rocks  which  characterize  that  region,  flat  tables  or 
terraces  of  horizontal  strata  of  green  and  blue  sand  and 
clay,  and  sandy  conglomerate,  or  agglutinated  sand,  now 
form  the  principal  feature  of  the  country,  standing  alone, 
like  island  buttes,  amid  the  barren  plains,  or  forming 
escarpments  which  alternately  impinge  upon  the  banks  of 
the  winding  streams.  These  tables,  which  extend  from 
the  rim  of  the  basin  to  the  South  Pass,  and  thence  to 
Brown's  Hole,  on  Green  River,  are  apparently  the  result 
of  a  deposit  in  still  water.  The  layers  are  of  various  thick- 
nesses from  one  foot  to  that  of  a  knife  blade,  and  the 
hills  are  fast  wearing  away  under  the  influence  of  the 
wind  and  rain. 

"  The  whole  country  looks  as  if  it  had,  at  one  time, 
been  the  bottom  of  a  vast  lake,  which,  bursting  its  barrier 


28         Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

at  Brown's  Hole,  had  been  suddenly  drained  of  a  portion 
of  its  waters,  leaving  well  defined  marks  of  the  extent 
of  the  recession  upon  the  sides  of  these  isolated  buttes. 
As  the  channels  became  worn  by  the  passage  of  the  water 
through  the  outlet  into  Green  River,  another  sudden  de- 
pression followed,  and  the  same  operation  was  repeated  at 
still  a  lower  level.  There  are  three  well  defined  levels, 
and  the  same  appearances  of  horizontal  water  lines  occur 
here  as  were  noticed  upon  the  hillsides  of  the  islands  in 
the  Great  Salt  Lake ;  save"  that  in  the  latter  case  they  are 
more  numerous  and  closer  together,  and  the  subsidence 
of  the  waters  appears  to  have  been  more  gradual.  The 
surface  of  the  ground  was  strewn  with  fragments  of 
obsidian,  black,  shiny  pebbles,  flints,  and  white,  yellow, 
and  smoky  quartz." 

Southeastern  Utah  is,  even  to  this  day,  largely  a  terra 
incognita.  A  few  cowboys,  prospectors,  sheepherders,  and 
an  occasional  "  butter  into  the  wild,"  as  myself,  are  all 
that  ever  visit  it.  Think  of  the  fact  that  the  most  won- 
derful natural  bridges  in  the  known  world  were  not  dis- 
covered until  1903,  (see  special  chapter),  and  that  in  this 
day,  1 92 1,  it  is  not  an  unreasonable  thing  to  say  that  not 
a  hundred  people  a  year  have  seen  them  since  that  time. 

Only  a  year  ago,  Dr.  Charles  G.  Plummer  of  Salt  Lake 
City  went  on  a  photographing  expedition  to  Bryce  Can- 
yon. Here  he  came  in  touch  with  a  Mormon  bishop, 
named  Johnson,  who  informed  him  of  the  existence  of  a 
natural  bridge,  some  twenty-five  miles  away,  that  scarcely 
anyone  save  himself  knew  of.  Arrangements  were  made 
and  Dr.  Plummer  went  and  saw  the  bridge. 

Let  me  give  one  more  quotation  from  one  who  visited 
and  studied  this  little  known  portion  of  Utah,  as  far  back 
as  1859.  I  quote  from  the  Report  of  the  Exploring  Expe- 
dition from  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  to  the  Junction  of  the  Grand 
and  Green  Rivers  of  the  Great  Colorado  of  the  West,  in 
1859,  under  the  Command  of  Capt.  J.  N.  Macomb.    The 


General  Glimpses  of  the  Land  29 

expedition  had  entered  Utah  north  of  the  San  Juan 
River,  a  little  south  of  the  Sierra  La  Sal,  in  what  is  now 
San  Juan  County. 

"  August  23.  Leaving  servants  and  packs  in  camp,  we 
to-day  descended  the  canyon  of  Labyrinth  Creek,  to  its 
junction  with  Grand  River.  Until  within  a  mile  of  the 
junction,  the  character  of  the  canyon  remains  the  same ;  a 
narrow  gorge,  with  vertical  sides,  from  150  to  300  feet 
in  height,  its  bottom  thickly  grown  with  bushes  and 
obstructed  with  fallen  rocks  and  timber,  passable  but  with 
infinite  difficulty.  At  the  place  mentioned  above,  how- 
ever, our  progress  was  arrested  by  a  perpendicular  fall, 
some  200  feet  in  height,  dark,  and  ragged,  impassable  to 
everything  but  the  winged  bird.  At  the  bottom,  the  whole 
breadth  of  this  canyon  is  occupied  by  the  turbid  waters  of 
the  Grand  River,  here  a  sluggish  stream,  at  least  with  no 
current  visible  to  us  who  were  more  than  2,000  feet  above 
it.  In  this  great  artery,  a  thousand  lateral  tributaries 
terminate,  flowing  through  channels  precisely  like  that  of 
Labyrinth  Creek;  underground  passages  by  which  inter- 
mittent floods  from  the  distant  highlands  are  conducted 
through  this  country,  producing  upon  it  no  other  effect 
than  constantly  to  deepen  their  own  beds.  Toward  the 
south  the  canyon  of  Green  River  was  easily  traced.  Per- 
haps four  miles  below  our  position  it  is  joined  by  another 
great  chasm  coming  in  from  the  northeast,  said  by  the 
Indians  to  be  that  of  Grand  River.  From  the  point  where 
we  were  it  was  inaccessible,  but  we  had  every  reason  to 
credit  their  report  in  reference  to  it." 

From  these  interesting  descriptions  of  varied  portions 
of  the  state  it  will  well  be  seen  that  Utah  is  no  dull  monot- 
onous plain,  without  romantic  and  picturesque  features.  I 
might  have  quoted  alike  English,  French  and  American 
travelers,  explorers  and  scientists.  Their  descriptions 
show  us  parts  of  the  state  passed  through  yearly  by  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  people,  on  the  public  highways  or 


30         Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

railways;  also  parts  of  the  state  even  yet  almost  unknown, 
and  that  can  be  reached  only  by  wagon,  on  horseback,  or 
with  pack-train.  And  yet  not  one-tenth,  one-twentieth, 
one-hundredth  of  the  state,  or  of  its  distinctive  features 
of  attraction  and  fascination  have  been  mentioned.  Prac- 
tically, no  account  has  been  taken  of  the  cities  of  the  State, 
and  some  of  them  are  of  a  character  that  deserve  and 
almost  demand  detailed  description.  Suffice  to  say  that, 
if  the  world-travelers  and  students  I  have  here  quoted, 
have  found  so  much  to  arrest  and  occupy  their  devoted 
attention,  no  ordinary  traveler,  if  he  be  but  observant, 
can  fail  to  find  in  Utah  enough  of  variety,  of  romance, 
of  allurement,  of  fascination,  of  picturesqueness  to 
satisfy  him. 

Furthermore,  as  it  seems  to  be  In  the  hearts  of  many 
men  and  some  women  to  desire  to  discover  what  others 
have  not  seen,  to  explore  unknown  regions,  in  fact,  I  have 
purposely  enlarged  upon  unknown  Utah,  deliberately 
selected  so  many  quotations  about  it,  that  these  persons 
of  exploring  tendencies  may  know  that  southeastern 
Utah  is  a  country  that  will  satisfy  their  proclivities  to  the 
utmost.  On  the  other  hand,  those  who  wish  to  find 
homes,  amid  agricultural  and  horticultural  scenes,  can  be 
gratified,  while  those  who  long  for  well-peopled  cities, 
advantageously  located  for  business,  health,  recreation, 
and  the  rearing  of  their  families,  can  find  variety  enough 
to  satisfy  the  most  exacting  in  this  interior  land  of  the 
Great  Salt  Lake. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  ANCIENT  INHABITANTS  OF  UTAH 

Like  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  not  only  does  Utah 
have  living  Indians  within  its  boundaries,  but  the  first 
explorers  found  evidences  of  earlier  peoples,  the  ruins  of 
whose  dwellings  used  to  cause  much  conjecture.  Modern 
archaeologists,  however,  feel  certain  that  they  have  solved 
the  major  problems  of  the  existence  of  these  ancient 
inhabitants. 

The  first  explorer  to  discover  ruins,  in  what  is  now 
recognized  as  the  southwestern  portion  of  the  United 
States,  was  Captain  J.  H.  Simpson,  who  fully  described 
the  ruins  of  the  Chaco  Canyon  and  Mesa  in  New  Mexico. 
Later,  the  ruins  of  the  Mancos  Canyon,  in  Colorado,  were 
discovered,  and  from  that  time  on,  up  even  to  the  present 
date,  discoveries  have  been  made  in  Utah,  Arizona  and 
New  Mexico. 

The  question  often  has  been  asked :  How  far  north 
have  these  ruins  of  Cliff-  Cave-  and  Pueblo-dwellers  been 
discovered?  We  can  answer  this  question  now  with  a 
reasonable  degree  of  assurance.  Dr.  Byron  Cummings, 
formerly  of  the  University  of  Utah,  but  now  Dean  of 
the  University  of  Arizona,  states  in  the  Bulletin  later 
referred  to : 

"  In  the  summer  of  1906,  the  writer  made  an  examina- 
tion of  the  ruins  in  Nine  Mile  Canyon,  along  the  northern 
border  of  Carbon  County,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Utah, 
and  obtained  no  trace  of  ruins  farther  north  in  that  region 
except  one  small  house  on  the  Green  River  about  four 

31 


•  >.■) 


Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 


miles  north  of  where  Nine  ]\Iile,  (Minnie  Maud),  creek 
joins  the  Green  River.  Mr.  George  Bishop  of  Smithville, 
in  the  western  part  of  the  state  near  the  Nevada  border, 
writes  that  there  is  a  group  of  ruins  a  few  miles  from 
his  place,  that  seems  to  be  a  well  defined  pueblo;  and  Mr. 
Don  McGuire,  of  Ogden,  has  obtained  good  specimens  of 
pottery  from  a  ruin  near  Brigham  City.  The  Smithville 
ruins  are  on  nearly  the  same  parallel  as  those  of  Carbon 
County,  but  Brigham  City  lies  far  to  the  north." 

With  the  exception  above  noted  it  may  generally  be 
stated  that  nothing  has  been  discovered  north  of  the 
Mancos  and  Animas  regions  in  Colorado,  or  above  38 
degrees  of  latitude  in  Utah.  Indeed,  I  am  not  familiar 
with  ruins  having  been  discovered  in  Utah,  (except  as 
above),  outside  of  the  five  southern  counties  —  Wash- 
ington, Iron,  Garfield,  Kane  and  San  Juan.  The  oldest 
discovered  and  best-known  are  in  San  Juan  County,  in 
McElmo  and  other  creek-canyons  tributary  to  the  San 
Juan  river.  There  is  little  doubt  in  my  own  mind  that 
these  ancient  inhabitants  were  perfectly  familiar  with  that 
marvellous  region,  discovered  by  the  white  man  as  recently 
as  1904,  where  the  colossal  Natural  Bridges  of  Utah  are 
located. 

Macomb  in  his  Explorations  thus  describes  some  of  the 
ruins  discovered  by  his  party  in  1859: 

"  The  country  lying  between  the  Mancos  (in  Colorado) 
and  Dolores  is  generally  dry  and  sterile,  yet  is  every- 
where covered  with  fragments  of  broken  pottery,  showing 
its  former  occupation  by  a  considerable  number  of  inhabi- 
tants ;  it  is  now  utterly  deserted." 

Later  on  he  reports  another  mass  of  ruins  seen  from 
an  unidentified  hill.  Clearly,  however,  he  was  looking 
into  Utah  : 

"  The  hill  from  which  we  obtained  this  view  is  crowned 
with  an  extensive  series  of  very  ancient  ruins.  The  prin- 
cipal one  is  a  pueblo,  nearly  100  feet  square,  once  sub- 


The  Ancient  Inhabitants  of  Utah         3>1 

stantially  built,  of  dressed  stone,  now  a  shapeless  heap,  in 
which  the  plan  of  the  original  structure  can,  however,  be 
traced.  Like  most  of  the  ruined  pueblos  of  New  Mexico, 
it  consisted  of  a  series  of  small  rooms  clustered  together, 
like  cells  in  a  beehive.  Near  the  principal  edifice  are 
mounds  of  stone,  representing  subordinate  buildings. 
Among  these  are  numerous  large  depressions  marking  the 
places  of  cisterns  or  estufas.  Quantities  of  broken  pot- 
tery, similar  to  that  so  commonly  seen  in  like  circum- 
stances, but  bearing  the  marks  of  great  age,  strew  the 
ground  about  these  ruins. 

"  A  mile  or  two  up  the  river  are  several  other  stone- 
houses  built  high  up  in  the  cliffs,  150  feet  above  the 
stream ;  they  are  usually  placed  on  ledges  covered  by  pro- 
jecting rocks,  which  act  as  roofs.  These  houses  are  not 
large,  and  were  probably  only  occupied  by  the  guardians 
of  the  fields  once  in  cultivation  below.  All  of  these,  as 
well  as  the  more  extensive  ruins  before  mentioned,  are 
admirably  located  for  defense,  and  would  easily  be  held 
by  a  handful  of  determined  men  against  any  number  of 
assailants  armed  only  with  the  weapons  of  savage  warfare. 

"...  Surouaro  is  the  name  of  a  ruined  town 
which  must  once  have  contained  a  population  of  several 
thousands.  The  name  is  said  to  be  of  Indian  (Utah) 
origin,  and  to  signify  desolation,  and  certainly  no  better 
name  could  have  been  selected.  The  surrounding  coun- 
try is  hopelessly  sterile;  and,  whatever  it  once  may  have 
been,  Surouaro  is  now  desolate  enough.  Here  are  two 
canyons,  cut  in  the  sandstone  by  two  former  streams. 
These  unite  nearly  a  mile  below  camp.  All  the  interval  of 
mesa  between  them  is  covered  with  ruins.  The  houses 
are,  many  of  them,  large,  and  all  built  of  stone,  hammer- 
dressed  on  the  exposed  faces.  Fragments  of  pottery  are 
exceedingly  common,  though,  like  the  building,  showing 
great  age.  There  is  every  evidence  that  a  large  popula- 
tion resided  here  for  many  years,  perhaps  centuries,  and 


34         Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

that  they  deserted  it  several  hundred  years  ago ;  that  they 
were  Pueblo  Indians,  and  hence  peaceful,  industrious,  and 
agricultural.  How  they  managed  to  exist  here,  and  how 
their  town  was  depopulated,  are  questions  that  suggest 
themselves  at  once,  but  certainly  the  former  is  the  more 
puzzling.  They  may  have  been  exterminated  by  the 
Navahos  and  Utahs,  warlike  and  aggressive  tribes,  who 
now  occupy  the  adjacent  region;  but  where  a  population 
of  many  thousands  once  existed,  now  as  many  hundreds 
could  not  be  sustained,  either  by  agriculture  or  the  chase. 
The  surrounding  country  contains  very  little  animal  life, 
and  almost  none  of  it  is  now  cultivable.  It  is  7,000  feet 
in  altitude,  intensely  cold  in  winter,  and  very  dry  through- 
out the  year.  The  want  of  water  alone  would  forbid  the 
residence  of  any  considerable  number  of  persons  at 
Surouaro  if  everything  else  were  furnished  them.  The 
arroyos,  through  which  streams  seem  to  have  once 
flowed,  are  now  dry,  and  it  was  only  with  great  difficulty 
that  sufficient  water  was  obtained  for  the  supply  of  our 
train.  The  remains  of  metates  (corn-mills)  are  abundant 
about  the  ruins,  and  corn  was  doubtless  the  staple  article 
of  their  existence,  but  none  could  now  be  raised  here. 
The  ruins  of  several  large  reservoirs,  built  of  masonry, 
may  be  seen  at  Surouaro,  and  there  are  traces  of  acequias, 
which  led  to  these,  through  which  water  was  brought 
perhaps  from  a  great  distance.  At  first  sight  the  diffi- 
culties in  the  way  of  obtaining  a  supply  of  water  for  any 
considerable  population  at  this  point  would  seem  insur- 
mountable, and  the  readiest  solution  of  the  problem  would 
be  to  infer  a  change  of  climate,  by  which  this  region  was 
made  uninhabitable.  Such  a  conclusion  is  not  necessary, 
however,  for  the  skill  and  industry  of  the  ancient  inhabi- 
tants of  the  arid  table  lands  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona 
achieved  wonders  in  the  way  of  procuring  a  supply  of 
water.  Sometimes  this  was  done  by  carefully  collecting, 
in  cisterns  of  masonry,  every  drop  of  a  trickling  spring; 


The  Ancient  Inhabitants  of  Utah         35 

sometimes,  by  canals,  through  which  water  was  brought 
from  long  distances." 

Still  later  Captain  Macomb  reports : 

"  Some  two  miles  below  the  head  of  Labyrinth  Canyon 
we  came  upon  the  ruins  of  a  large  number  of  houses  of 
stone,  evidently  built  by  the  Pueblo  Indians,  as  they  are 
similar  to  those  on  the  Dolores,  and  the  pottery  scattered 
about  is  identical  with  that  before  found  in  so  many 
places.  It  is  very  old  but  of  excellent  quality,  made  of 
red  clay  coated  with  white,  and  handsomely  figured. 
Here  the  houses  are  built  in  the  sides  of  the  cliffs. 

"  A  mile  or  two  below  we  saw  others  crowding  the 
inaccessible  summits — inaccessible  except  by  ladders — of 
picturesque  detached  buttes  of  red  sandstone,  which  rise 
to  the  height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the 
bottom  of  the  canyon.  Similar  buildings  were  found 
lower  down,  and  broken  pottery  was  picked  up  upon  the 
summits  of  the  cliffs  overhanging  Grand  River ;  evidence 
that  these  dreadful  canyons  were  once  the  homes  of 
families  belonging  to  that  great  people  formerly  spread 
over  all  this  region  now  so  utterly  sterile,  solitary,  and 
desolate." 

Since  the  day  of  Macomb  there  has  been  considerable 
scientific  exploration  carried  on  in  southeastern  Utah. 
Some  of  this  work  has  been  done  under  the  auspices  of 
the  University  of  Utah,  and  some  by  the  Smithsonian 
Institution,  under  the  direction  of  the  Bureau  of  Ameri- 
can Ethnology. 

In  1908,  an  expedition,  under  the  personal  direction  of 
Professor  Byron  Cummings  of  the  University  of  Utah, 
and  Alfred  Vincent  Kidder,  of  the  School  of  American 
Archaeology,  set  forth  from  Monticello,  with  two  stu- 
dents as  aids,  and  a  cattleman  as  guide,  for  the  purpose 
of  exploring  the  western  tributary  of  Montezuma  Creek, 
in  the  southeastern  portion  of  San  Juan  County,  and  also 
finding  a  ruin  which  they  could  excavate.     They  were 


36         Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 


later  joined  by  two  students  from  Harvard  who  mater- 
ially aided  in  the  work  of  excavation.  From  a  report  by 
Professor  Kidder  the  following  facts  are  gleaned : 

Montezuma  Canyon  is  a  deep  and  rather  narrow 
valley,  which  heads  in  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Sierra 
Abajo  or  Blue  Mountains,  and  flows  in  a  southerly  direc- 
tion some  forty-five  miles  before  emptying  into  the  San 
Juan  River.  Its  eastern  tributaries  drain  the  long  mesa 
which  separates  it  from  the  McElmo- Yellow  Jacket 
system  of  canyons,  while  on  the  west  its  upper  tributaries 
all  head  against  the  eastern  and  southern  slopes  of  the 
Abajos.  These  upper  western  tributaries  were  the  ones 
explored.  They  are  smaller  replicas  of  the  Montezuma 
itself,  being,  in  most  places,  narrow,  gorge-like  canyons, 
with  barren,  sandy  bottoms  and  abrupt  cliff-like  sides. 
There  are  three  principal  canyons,  the  most  northward 
being  Long  Canyon,  followed  by  Devil  and  Alkali 
Canyons.  The  latter  canyon,  for  some  15  or  20  miles, 
runs  almost  parallel  to  Montezuma,  before  it  eventually 
enters  it,  thus  forming  a  narrow  mesa,  called  Alkali  Ridge, 
between  Alkali  and  Montezuma.  The  country  in  the 
region  is  so  split  up  and  broken,  and  presents  such  a 
tangle  of  steep  gullies,  cliffs,  and  precipitous  ravines, 
that  many  weeks  would  be  necessary  for  its  complete 
exploration. 

Three  well-defined  groups  of  ancient  dwellings  were 
found,  viz.,  (i)  Cliff-dwellings,  (2)  Canyon-head  dwell- 
ings, and  (3)  Pueblos. 

Cliff-dwellings  of  every  conceivable  sort  and  situation 
were  found,  all,  however,  of  small  size.  The  simplest 
type  is  a  small  natural  cave  made  into  a  single  room  by  the 
addition  of  a  wall,  closing  in  the  front.  The  largest  did 
not  contain  more  than  eight  or  ten  rooms,  while  the 
majority  were  merely  single-  or  double-room  structures, 
their  roofs  and  back  walls  usually  being  supplied  by  the 
cave  cliff  in  which  they  were  built. 


The  Ancient  Inhabitants  of  Utah         37 

All  these  buildings  show  much  ingenuity  in  construc- 
tion and  reveal  the  adaptability  and  resourcefulness  of 
their  builders.  Yet  the  masonry  is  exceedingly  crude, 
the  stones  evidently  being  picked  up  at  random,  laid  with- 
out any  attempt  at  coursing  in  adobe,  and  afterwards 
plastered  on  both  sides  with  adobe  roughly  laid  on  by  the 
hand  or  a  rude  wooden  implement.  Wooden  beams  are 
sometimes  incorporated  into  the  masonry. 

In  one  house  in  Devil  Canyon,  a  fine  specimen  of 
ancient  "  reinforced  concrete  "  was  found.  This  was  a 
wall  begun  after  the  manner  of  a  picket  fence,  by  placing 
upright,  and  about  a  foot  apart,  a  number  of  slim  cedar 
poles.  These  were  then  wattled  together  with  twigs  and 
osiers,  making  a  fairly  close  and  basket-like  surface, 
which  was  then  coated  inside  and  out  with  adobe  until 
the  whole  had  the  thickness  of  three  inches. 

The  doors  of  the  cliff-dwellings  averaged  the  following 
dimensions:  height  22^  inches,  width  15  inches,  thick- 
ness of  wall  II  inches,  height  from  floor  of  room  20 
inches.  They  are  usually  fitted  with  a  slab  of  sandstone 
for  a  sill,  while  the  lintels  are  made  either  of  a  similar  slab 
or  of  several  small  wooden  rods  sunk  in  the  masonry  of 
the  jambs.  A  single  rod  about  an  inch  below  the  middle 
of  the  lintel  answered  as  a  rest  for  the  stone-slab  which 
served  as  a  door. 

Owing  to  the  absence  of  Kivas,  or  sacred  ceremonial 
rooms,  from  these  ruins.  Professors  Cummings  and  Kid- 
der were  in  doubt  as  to  whether  they  were  continuously 
inhabited.     They  say : 

*'  Whether  they  were  lookout  places,  granaries,  or  shel- 
ters from  which  to  watch  the  cornfields,  are  questions 
which  it  is  better  to  leave  open  until  more  complete  data 
as  to  their  exact  topographical  situation  and  their  rela- 
tions one  to  another  and  to  the  larger  pueblo  groups  can 
be  collected." 

The  pueblos  were  nearly  all  found  on  the  tops  of  the 


175121 


oS         Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

cedar-covered  mesas  between  the  canyons.  Over  twenty 
groups  were  mapped  in  a  small  section  of  Alkali  Ridge 
alone.  All  are  badly  ruined,  so  that  they  appear  merely 
as  low  mounds  thickly  strewn  with  building  stones  and 
heavily  over-grown  with  sagebrush  and  greasewood. 
They  are  usually  situated  on  the  crest  of  a  ridge  some  dis- 
tance back  from  the  rims  of  the  canyons,  thus  occupying 
the  highest  ground  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  In  each  of 
these  groups  one  or  more  Kivas  were  found,  near  which 
were  always  located  the  burial  places  of  the  dead.  Many 
of  these  had  been  dug  into  by  relic-seekers  and  pot-hunt- 
ers, and  rendered  utterly  useless  for  purposes  of  scientific 
exploration,  hence  the  party  was  highly  delighted  to  find 
on  Alkali  Ridge  a  large  group  of  ruins,  with  two  burial 
mounds,  one  of  which  was  intact,  and  the  other  only 
slightly  disturbed.  Excavations  were  carried  on  for  five 
weeks,  under  considerable  difficulties  and  limitations,  but 
seventeen  rooms  and  three  Kivas  were  successfully  laid 
bare.  About  400  museum  specimens  were  procured, 
among  them  being  thirty  pieces  of  unbroken  pottery.  The 
appearances  indicated  that  the  buildings  originally  were 
but  two  stories  high  and  spread  over  considerable  ground, 
entirely  different  from  the  terraced  pueblos,  the  cliff- 
dwellings  placed  in  inaccessible  places,  the  pueblos  of  the 
McElmo  canyon,  where  the  houses  had  a  tall  backwall 
without  ground-floor  doorways,  and  such  compact  pueblos 
as  those  found  in  the  Chaco  Canyon,  all  of  which  were 
capable  of  ready  and  comparatively  easy  defense.  These 
scattered  dwellings,  however,  have  no  strategic  advantage 
in  their  location,  and  they  are  so  loosely  strung  together 
that  no  combined  resistance  to  a  sudden  attack  could  have 
been  made. 

The  masonry,  too,  was  poor,  the  building  rocks  being 
rough  and  shapeless,  and  laid  without  any  semblance  of 
coursing.  Most  of  the  rooms  were  fairly  uniform  in  size, 
averaging  about  ten  feet  by  five  feet.     The  easternmost 


The  Ancient  Inhabitants  of  Utah         39 

chamber,  which  evidently  had  been  used  for  a  granary, 
was  twenty-three  feet  long.  Evidently  a  great  fire  had 
once  raged  here,  oxidizing  a  large  quantity  of  corn  on  the 
cob;  vitrifying,  and  in  some  places  turning  almost  into  a 
sort  of  iridescent  slag,  parts  of  the  adobe  walls  and  ceil- 
ing. In  some  places  cedar  posts  were  incorporated  as 
parts  of  the  lower  walls,  though  only  charred  remains  and 
the  marks  of  the  bark  in  the  adobe  were  left  to  tell  of  their 
former  presence.  The  finds  in  the  living  rooms  were 
meager,  suggesting,  at  least,  the  possibility  of  the  inhabi- 
tants having  removed  elsewhere. 

In  this  pueblo  there  were  forty  and  possibly  more 
Kivas  or  sacred  ceremonial  chambers,  all  found  under- 
ground, with  clear  evidences  that  they  had  been  roofed. 
These  Kivas  doubtless  were  added  one  by  one  as  more 
clans  were  added  to  the  pueblo  and  more  houses,  needed, 
by  the  marriage  of  the  maidens.  For  each  clan  needed  its 
own  Kiva  for  the  performance  of  its  own  ceremonies, 
and  a  study  of  the  Pueblo  Indians  of  to-day,  such  as  the 
Hopi,  Zuni,  Acoma,  etc.,  demonstrate  the  supreme  import- 
ance to  the  Indian  mind  of  these  strange,  weird  and  primi- 
tive performances. 

The  two  burial  places  examined  yielded  considerable 
material,  though  one  had  been  much  disturbed  by  irre- 
sponsible excavators.  In  the  other,  twenty-eight  burials 
were  uncovered,  with  accompanying  pottery,  ornaments 
and  other  objects.  The  majority  of  the  bodies  found  were 
laid  on  their  sides,  the  knees  drawn  up  towards  the  chest, 
the  elbows  flexed  on  their  sides,  the  hands  placed  in  front 
of,  or  beside,  the  face.  Pottery  was  found  with  about 
one  skeleton  in  five,  though  one  body  had  ten  pieces.  The 
only  ornaments  found  were  beads,  made  of  olivella  shells 
and  pieces  of  hollow  bone,  all  clearly  used  as  necklaces. 

From  the  main  ruins  were  obtained  pottery,  pipes,  cere- 
monial objects  of  stone  and  pottery;  bone  awls,  skin- 
scrapers,  and  needles;  beads  of  shell,  bone,  stone,  and 


40         Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

pottery;  stone-axes,  polishing-stones,  sandal-stones,  and 
various  kinds  of  chipped  implements  such  as  knives,  spear- 
heads and  projectile  points.  Owing  to  the  exposed  con- 
dition of  the  ruins  no  objects  of  basketry,  textiles  or 
wood  were  found,  and  there  was  no  trace  of  metal. 

Another  type  of  ruins  is  found  in  the  Yellow  Jacket 
and  Hovenweap  region,  which  is  not  far  from  the  one 
already  described.  Here,  round  towers,  that  might  almost 
be  called  castles,  are  found.  Towers  are  widely  distributed 
in  the  southwest,  but  those  of  the  Hovenweap  district,  in 
southeastern  Utah,  are  in  an  excellent  state  of  preserva- 
tion and  their  masonry  somewhat  superior  to  that  found 
elsewhere.  While  the  ends  of  few  roof  and  floor  beams 
are  occasionally  found,  there  are  no  roofs  actually  in  place 
but  the  assumption  that  some  of  these  buildings  were  two 
and  three  stories  high  is  supported  by  reasonable  evi- 
dence. The  towers  vary,  in  that  some  are  round,  others 
rectangular,  a  few  semicircular,  some  stand  alone,  and 
others  have  annexed  rectangular  rooms.  In  some  cases, 
circular  or  semicircular  towers  are  found  within  concen- 
tric walls,  united  by  radiating  partitions  forming  rooms, 
and  in  still  other  cases,  a  circular  room  or  tower  is  en- 
closed in  a  rectangular  room.  There  are  also  towers 
united  to  pueblos. 

The  stones  of  which  these  towers  are  built  exhibit 
both  the  excellencies  and  defects  of  aboriginal  masonry. 
Almost  without  exception  they  are  of  rudely  dressed  stone, 
the  pits  or  markings  having  been  made  with  stone  ham- 
mers. They  were  laid  in  horizontal  courses,  but  it  is 
evident  that  tieing  or  bonding  was  not  deemed  essential 
or  important,  and  the  work  is  by  no  means  even.  The 
stones  were  laid  in  adobe  mortar,  and  the  spaces  between 
the  courses  chinked  with  spalls,  or  small  pieces  of  stone. 
Most  of  these,  however,  with  much  of  the  mortar,  have 
been  washed  out  by  rains,  and  great  numbers  of  them  are 
found  at  the  foot  of  the  walls.     Here  and  there  the  walls 


The  Ancient  Inhabitants  of  Utah        41 

are  pierced  with  small  openings,  irregularly  arranged, 
doubtlessly  made  by  the  omission  of  stones.  As  a  rule 
these  holes  are  lined  with  adobe  plaster  and  rounded. 
Their  directions  are  at  all  angles  to  the  faces  of  the  walls. 
Larger  openings,  as  rectangular  doorways  and  windows, 
also  occur,  with  well-made  stone  lintels  and  thresholds. 
T-shapcd  doorways,  or  those  in  which  the  lower  part  is 
narrower  than  the  upper,  are  found  in  the  walls  of  upper 
stories.  The  foundations  were  not  cut  or  excavated  to  a 
uniform  level,  but  flat  stones  were  introduced  by  the 
aboriginal  builders  anyhow  and  everyhow,  wherever 
required  to  make  the  first  course  reasonably  level.  The 
angles  of  square  and  semicircular  towers  are  plumb,  their 
surfaces  perpendicular,  slanting  slightly  inward  from  base 
to  top,  and  often  showing  a  slight  bulge,  or  curve,  which 
adds  to  their  picturesqueness.  Sometimes  both  square 
and  rectangular  towers  have  their  corners  rounded. 

Where  rooms  are  attached  to  the  towers  they  were  gen- 
erally planned  for  at  the  original  building,  but  there  are 
many  evidences  that  rooms  were  often  added  later.  The 
west  wing  of  the  building  known  as  Hovenweap  Castle 
consists  of  a  semicircular  tower,  attached  to  which  are 
four  large  rooms,  arranged  in  a  series,  all  with  massive 
walls,  two  or  more  stories  high. 

In  Square  Tower  Canyon  a  tall  tower  was  found, 
mounted  on  an  angular  boulder,  the  upper  surface  of 
which  slopes  at  a  sharp  angle.  In  spite  of  this  a  number 
of  rectangular  buildings  were  united  to  the  tower,  though 
the  walls  have  now  slid  down  the  incline  and  fallen. 

In  Hackberry  Canyon  —  a  spur  of  Bridge  Canyon  — 
is  found  one  of  the  concentric  type.  It  is  known  as 
Horseshoe  House,  and  it  is  supposed  to  be  the  form  of 
many  ruined  masses  found  in  the  Yellow  Jacket  region. 
Sometimes  the  enclosed  circular  area  is  so  large  that  it 
can  scarcely  be  regarded  as  a  simple  tower.  The  larger 
space  suggests  the  possibility  of  its  having  been  the  plaza 


42         Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

of  a  circular  pueblo  with  concentric  walls,  sometimes 
numerous  and  connected  with  radiating  partitions.  It  is 
interesting  to  note  that  the  ruin  mentioned  by  Padres 
Escalante  and  Dominguez,  in  1776,  belongs  to  this  type. 

The  circular  type  of  room,  enclosed  in  rectangular 
walls,  is  the  pure  type  of  pueblo  architecture  character- 
istic of  the  Mesa  Verde  region  in  southwestern  Colorado, 
according  to  Dr.  J.  Walter  Fewkes,  the  eminent  archaeol- 
ogist and  ethnologist  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution. 
He  says : 

"  The  word  tower  is  used  with  a  good  deal  of  latitude 
by  writers  and  is  sometimes  applied  to  the  buildings  con- 
sidered in  this  group.  Some  of  the  towers  in  groups  pre- 
viously considered,  judged  from  their  size,  might  better 
be  called  castles  or  houses  of  defence;  others  have  been 
regarded  as  observatories  and  as  habitations.  The  unit 
form  of  the  pure  type  of  pueblo,  also  regarded  as  a  tower, 
is  a  combined  Kiva  and  habitation,  morphologically 
speaking.  The  best  example  of  a  building  of  this  char- 
acter is  Unit  Type  House,  an  instructive  ruin  situated  in 
the  Square  Tower  Canyon  Group.  Here  there  is  one 
Kiva  embedded  in  a  mass  of  rectangular  rooms,  impart- 
ing to  the  ruin  a  general  rectangular  outline  slightly  modi- 
fied by  the  presence  of  an  annexed  square  room  at  one 
corner.  Unit  Type  House  is  structurally  the  simplest 
form  or  nucleus  of  a  pure  pueblo  type,  and  when  several 
similar  units  are  consolidated  into  a  compact  body  of 
rooms  the  result  is  a  considerable  pueblo." 

According  to  Dr.  Fewkes,  the  most  complicated  archi- 
tectural form  reached  in  the  highest  development  of  pue- 
blo architecture  is  found  where  towers  are  united  to 
pueblos  of  the  pure  type.  This  is  best  found  in  its  simplest 
form  in  the  Hovenweap  House.  A  more  complex  and 
better  preserved  example  is  found  in  the  Castle,  close  by. 
There  are  several  good  examples  found  in  the  Yellow 
Jacket  region. 


The  Ancient  Inhabitants  of  Utah         43 

The  pure  pueblo  type  consists  of  architectural  units, 
each  unit  being  a  circular  sunken  chamber,  which  served 
as  the  sanctuary,  or  Kiva,  embedded  in  rectangular  rooms. 
This  type  exists  singly  or  in  multiple  forms,  isolated  or 
united  to  others  of  its  kind. 

Dr.  Fewkes  has  reached  the  conclusion  that  the  tower  is 
a  prehistoric  type,  and  that  the  few  towers  found  by  the 
first  explorers  in  the  inhabited  regions  were  but  survivals. 
He  also  thinks  it  possible  that  the  modern  circular  Kiva 
may  be  a  survivor  in  form  of  the  ancient  tower. 

The  most  general,  comprehensive,  and  popular  survey 
that  has  yet  been  made  of  the  prehistoric  ruins  of  Utah, 
is  found  in  Dr.  Byron  Cummings'  bulletin  entitled :  The 
Ancient  Inhabitants  of  the  San  Juan  Valley,  and  to  this, 
and  the  Reports  of  the  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology, 
the  interested  reader  who  desires  further  to  inform  him- 
self is  respectfully  referred. 

It  should  be  noted,  however,  that  discoveries  of  cliff- 
and  cave-dwellings,  ruined  pueblos,  etc.,  are  still  being 
reported  in  Utah. 

Professor  Levi  Edgar  Young,  of  the  State  University, 
has  been  tireless  in  his  explorations  and  researches.  He 
and  his  students,  for  a  number  of  years,  have  gone  out  into 
the  field,  either  for  the  purpose  of  exploration  and  dis- 
covery, or  to  excavate  and  study  ruins  already  known. 
In  1917,  an  expedition  was  sent  out,  under  the  joint  aus- 
pices of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  and  the  University 
of  Utah,  under  the  directorship  of  Neil  M.  Judd,  a  nativ-e 
of  the  State,  and  trained  to  his  archaeological  work  by 
Doctor  Cummings  and  Professor  Young.  He  chose  a 
well-known  region,  near  Paragoonah,  Iron  County,  Utah, 
where,  as  far  back  as  1872,  when  the  Wheeler  survey  was 
being  made.  Dr.  H.  C.  Yarrow  reported  that  he  had 
counted  more  than  400  mounds.  As  the  years  passed, 
extensive  farming  was  carried  on  in  the  region,  and  doubt- 
less,  many  mounds  were  destroyed,  until   in    1893,   the 


44         Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

number  was  given  as  not  more  than  lOO.  By  191 5,  this 
number  had  again  been  reduced  by  one  half,  when  Mr. 
Judd  first  began  his  investigations,  and,  says  he,  "  the 
number  was  still  further  reduced  during  the  next  twelve 
months,  leaving  a  bare  half-dozen  large  elevations  in  the 
fields  already  under  cultivation  and  several  smaller  mounds 
in  the  sage-covered  area  adjoining." 

While  the  work  accomplished  was  of  much  profit  to  the 
scientific  archaeologist,  it  must  be  confessed  that  there 
was  nothing  discovered  of  a  spectacular  nature,  or  any- 
thing to  appeal  keenly  to  popular  interest.  The  inaccessi- 
ble element  of  the  dangerous-looking  cliff-dwellings  was 
lacking,  and  it  is  not  easy  for  the  dull  imagination  of 
mediocrity  to  visualize  anything  very  exciting  as  having 
taken  place  in  so  unpicturesque  a  spot.  Yet  Mr.  Judd 
gives  a  picture  of  a  way  the  walls  were  made  that  will  be 
new  to  most,  if  not  all,  of  my  readers. 

"  Much  has  been  said  regarding  the  manner  in  which 
these  adobe  dwellings  were  constructed.  The  builders 
required  merely  an  abundant  water-supply  and  the  clayey 
soil  of  the  region.  A  shallow  hole  near  the  site  of  the 
proposed  house  sufficed  as  a  mixing  box,  into  which  water 
was  poured  as  it  was  needed ;  the  hole  grew  in  extent  and 
depth  as  its  sides  were  cut  down  to  furnish  additional 
clay.  This  was  undoubtedly  mixed  by  the  bare  feet  of 
the  workers,  a  method  still  employed  by  modern  Pueblo 
Indians  and  their  Mexican  neighbors. 

"  Balls  of  this  mud,  worked  to  a  stiff  paste,  were  then 
thrown  on  to  a  prepared  area,  tracing  the  outline  of  the 
room.  Other  masses  were  added,  and  the  four  walls 
gradually  assumed  their  desired  height.  Of  necessity 
these  were  built  up  in  layers,  for  the  cohesive  properties 
of  plastic  clay  are  very  low,  and  supporting  forms  were 
unknown  among  the  primitive  peoples  of  America.  Each 
layer  averaged  about  fifteen  inches  in  thickness  and  the 
desert  sun  soon  dried  it  sufficiently  to  permit  of  the  addi- 


The  Ancient  Inhabitants  of  Utah         45 

tion  of  a  superimposed  course.  The  fact  that  these  layers 
vary  in  thickness  from  a  few  inches  to  more  than  a  foot 
may  be  traced  usually  to  an  effort  on  the  part  of  the  build- 
ers to  maintain  uniform  levels.  An  unintentional  irregu- 
larity in  one  layer  would  be  corrected  in  placing  the  next 
above  it.  Mud  plaster  was  ordinarily  employed  in  smooth- 
ing the  inner  faces  of  these  walls,  but  it  is  sometimes 
apparent  that  the  freshly  laid  adobe  was  merely  damp- 
ened with  water  and  surfaced  over,  obliterating  all  traces 
of  joints."* 

A  large  number  of  bone,  stone  and  other  primitive 
implements  were  found  during  the  process  of  excavation, 
together  with  seeds  of  various  kinds,  and  fragments  of 
basketry.  These  are  all  carefully  preserved  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Utah  Museum. 

Since  this  work  Mr.  Judd  has  continued  his  archaeolo- 
gical researches  in  Utah,  and  as  recently  as  June,  1920, 
reported  some  most  interesting  and  important  finds. 

In  closing  this  necessarily  brief  and  inadequate  chapter 
it  may  be  as  well  to  suggest  to  the  reader  a  few  broad  and 
general  conclusions  commonly  accepted  by  archaeologists 
as  the  result  of  their  study  of  these  prehistoric  ruins  up 
to  the  present  time.     These  are : 

1.  They  were  made  by  a  semi-pastoral  people  in  a 
very  primitive  stage  of  culture,  who  were  easily  moved 
by  drought,  famine  or  troublesome  enemies. 

2.  They  built  detached  houses,  unless  for  purposes  of 
common  defense  they  united  their  homes  in  one  or  more 
communal  dwellings.  This  applied  just  as  much  to  the 
cliff-dwellings  as  to  the  separate  and  communal  houses 
on  the  level. 

3.  Even  the  most  inaccessible  of  the  cliff-dwellings 
were  not  necessarily  places  of  defense  or  refuge.  The 
sites  happened  best  to  meet  the  immediate  needs  of  the 

•Archaeological  Investigations  at  Paragoonah,  Utah.     By  Neil   M.  Judd,  Published 
by  Smithsonian  Institution,   1919. 


ic^        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

aborigines.  Hence  their  occupancy  of  them.  That,  at 
times,  they  were  ocaipied  as  places  of  defense  is  also 
equally  certain. 

4.  But  it  does  not  follow  that,  because  they  were 
occasionally  so  used,  they  are  to  be  regarded  as  the  final 
place  of  refuge  and  defense  of  a  desperately  beset  people, 
whose  foes  completely  annihilated  them. 

5.  On  the  other  hand,  tradition  and  archaeological 
evidences  demonstrate  that  many  of  the  clifif-dwellers  and 
builders  of  the  pueblos  in  the  open,  or  on  the  level,  were 
the  ancestors  of  the  present-day  Pueblo  Indians  of 
Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 

6.  These  people  were  all  agriculturists  of  a  very 
rude  and  primitive  character,  unacquainted  with  any  form 
of  plough  or  other  implement,  save  a  simple  corn-planting 
stick,  and  a  rude  hoe,  though  they  understood  irrigation, 
and  have  left  many  traces  of  ditches  or  reservoirs. 


Joseph  Smith,  Jr. 
The  Founder  of  M ormonism 


CHAPTER  III 

JOSEPH  SMITH  AND  THE  ORIGIN  OF  MORMONISM 

When  Joseph  Smith  was  about  fourteen  years  of  age 
his  father's  family  moved  from  Palmyra,  N.  Y.,  to  Man- 
chester, N.  Y.  About  this  time  there  was  evinced  a  great 
deal  of  sectarian  revival  activity  to  make  converts  and 
add  to  the  Church  "  such  as  should  be  saved."  Joseph,  a 
lad  of  sensitive  nature,  was  naturally  influenced  by  the 
emotionalism  around  him.  His  mother  and  three  brothers 
and  a  sister  had  just  joined  the  Presbyterian  Church,  but 
Joseph,  though  so  young,  was  much  perturbed  about  the 
different  sects  of  the  professed  children  of  God.  Why 
these  divisions?  Surely  God  cannot  be  the  author  of 
this  confusion,  he  reasoned.  If  God  has  a  Church  in 
the  Faith  it  will  not  be  split  up  into  factions.  In  his 
own  words : 

"  While  I  was  laboring  under  the  extreme  difficulties 
caused  by  the  contests  of  these  parties  of  religionists,  I 
was  one  day  reading  the  Epistle  of  James,  first  chapter 
and  fifth  verse,  which  reads  :  '  If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom, 
let  him  ask  of  God,  that  giveth  to  all  men  liberally,  and 
upbraideth  not ;  and  it  shall  be  given  him.'  Never  did  any 
passage  of  Scripture  come  with  more  power  to  the  heart 
of  man  than  this  did  at  this  time  to  mine.  It  seemed  to 
enter  with  great  force  into  every  feeling  of  my  heart.  I 
reflected  on  it  again  and  again,  knowing  that  if  any  per- 
son needed  wisdom  from  God,  I  did ;  for  how  to  act  I  did 
not  know,  and  unless  I  could  get  more  wisdom  than  I  then 
had,  I  would  never  know ;  for  the  teachers  of  religion  of 

47 


48         Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

the  different  sects  understood  the  same  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture so  differently  as  to  destroy  all  confidence  in  settling 
the  question  by  an  appeal  to  the  Bible." 

The  more  he  thought  over  these  words  the  more  they 
affected  him,  until,  finally,  he  decided  to  act  upon  them. 
Not  far  from  his  home  was  a  beautiful  grove,  the  foliage 
of  which  was  dense  enough  to  give  him  the  seclusion  he 
desired  for  private  devotion.  Here,  on  the  morning  of  a 
clear  spring  day,  he  retired  for  definite  prayer  and  com- 
munion with  God,  if  such  things  were  possible. 

Let  me  now  quote  from  the  article  of  B.  H.  Roberts  in 
the  Americana  Magazine  on  the  "  History  of  the  Mor- 
mon Church." 

"  And  now  something  strange  happened.  The  youth 
had  just  begun  timidly  to  express  the  desire  of  his  heart 
in  words,  when  he  was  seized  upon  by  an  invisible  power 
that  overcame  him ;  his  tongue  was  bound  so  that  he  could 
not  speak.  Darkness  gathered  about  him  and  it  seemed 
for  a  time  that  he  was  doomed  to  sudden  destruction.  He 
exerted  all  his  powers  to  call  upon  God  for  deliverance 
from  this  enemy  —  not  from  a  merely  *  imaginary  ruin,' 
as  he  assures  us,  '  but  from  the  power  of  some  actual 
being  from  the  unseen  world,'  who  possessed  such  strength 
as  the  youth  had  never  before  encountered.  Despair 
seized  upon  him  and  he  felt  that  he  must  abandon  himself 
to  destruction.  At  this  moment  of  dreadful  alarm  he  saw 
a  pillar  of  light  exactly  over  his  head  which  shone  out 
above  the  brightness  of  the  sun,  and  began  gradually 
descending  towards  him  until  he  was  enveloped  within  it. 
As  soon  as  the  light  appeared,  the  youth  found  himself 
freed  from  the  power  of  the  enemy  that  had  held  him 
bound.  As  the  light  rested  upon  him,  he  beheld  within 
it  two  personages,  exactly  resembling  each  other  in  form 
and  features,  standing  above  him  in  the  air,  one  of  these, 
calling  Joseph  by  name,  and  pointing  to  the  other,  said; 
*  This  is  my  Beloved  Son,  hear  Him.' " 


Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mormonism    49 

It  gives  evidence  of  the  intellectual  tenacity  of  Joseph 
Smith  that  in  the  midst  of  all  these  bewildering  occur- 
rences he  held  clearly  in  his  mind  the  purpose  for  which 
he  had  come  to  the  secluded  spot,  the  object  he  had  in 
view  in  seeking  the  Lord.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  he  could 
get  sufficient  self-possession  to  speak,  he  asked  the  Per- 
sonages in  whose  resplendent  presence  he  stood,  which  of 
the  sects  was  right,  and  which  he  should  join.  He  was 
answered  that  he  must  join  none  of  them,  for  they  were 
all  wrong.  And  the  Personage  who  addressed  him  said 
that  all  their  creeds  were  an  abomination  in  His  sight; 
that  those  professors  were  all  corrupt ;  that  they  drew  near 
to  Him  with  their  lips,  but  their  hearts  were  far  from 
Him;  that  they  taught  for  doctrines  the  commandments 
of  men;  they  had  a  form  of  godliness,  but  denied  the 
power  thereof.  Joseph  was  again  forbidden  to  join  any 
of  these  sects  and  at  the  same  time  received  a  promise 
that  the  fullness  of  the  gospel  would  at  some  future  date 
be  made  known  unto  him. 

When  he  came  entirely  to  himself  he  found  that  he  was 
lying  on  his  back,  looking  up  to  heaven.  With  the  pass- 
ing of  the  vision  he  was  left  without  strength ;  but  soon 
recovering  from  his  weakness  he  returned  home. 

Now  let  the  candid  reader  carefully  think  over  these 
statements.  Here  was  a  boy  not  yet  fifteen  years  of  age, 
confessedly  not  extra  learned,  not  remarkable  in  any  way 
to  his  relatives  or  neighbors,  yet  seeing,  feeling,  there 
was  something  decidedly  wrong  about  the  multiplication 
of  sects  in  the  Church  professedly  divine  and  organized 
through  divine  authority.  How  many  boys  of  fifteen 
years,  no  matter  hov/  well-educated,  have  begun  to  think 
on  such  matters?  And  is  it  not  remarkable  that,  in  this 
year  of  our  Lord  1921,  and  for  many  years  past,  there 
has  been  a  growing  conviction  in  the  minds  of  men  of  all 
churches,  denominations,  and  creeds  that  it  is  a  scandal 
and  a  disgrace  to  Christendom,  that  the  professed  follow- 


50         Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

ers  of  Christ  cannot  harmonize,  get  together,  unite,  and 
as  one  force,  fight  the  armies  of  evil?  The  boy  Joseph 
Smith  was  but  a  hundred  years  ahead  of  his  time.  Had 
he  seen  this  vision  in  1920,  instead  of  1820,  the  Methodist 
minister  to  whom  he  told  it,  instead  of  rebuking  him  and 
treating  his  communication  with  contempt,  might  have 
hailed  him  with  delight,  sent  a  telegram  to  the  heads  of 
the  Interchurch  Movement  that  an  inspired  leader  had 
been  found,  and  have  prided  himself  upon  his  perspi- 
cacity and  the  good  fortune  that  had  brought  the  youth 
into  his  hands. 

But,  in  1820,  he  was  far  ahead  of  his  time,  and  conse- 
quently received  the  contumely,  scorn,  and  bitter  hatred 
visited  upon  those  who  dare  to  speak  before  the  people 
are  prepared.  The  so-called  "  churches  of  the  living 
God  "  seemed  far  more  interested  in  proselyting  and  add- 
ing converts  to  their  particular  sects  and  in  promulgating 
their  dififerences  than  they  were  in  trying  to  dwell  in  unity 
with  each  other. 

Let  my  readers  most  clearly  understand  at  this  point, 
that  it  is  upon  the  assumed  truth  of  this  vision  and  subse- 
quent revelations  alleged  to  have  been  made  to  Joseph 
Smith,  that  the  Mormon  Church,  The  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints,  definitely,  positively,  un- 
flinchingly takes  it  stand.  Its  leaders  do  not  beg  the  issue, 
dodge  it,  or  question  it.  They  accept  it  as  positively  as 
the  Roman  Catholics  accept  the  doctrines  promulgated 
from  the  papal  chair,  the  theosophists  the  commands  of 
the  masters,  the  Christian  Scientists  Mary  Baker  Eddy's 
text-book  Science  and  Health,  the  Methodists  the  teach- 
ings of  John  Wesley,  the  Presbyterians  the  teachings  of 
Calvin,  or  the  Lutherans  the  teachings  of  the  reformed 
monk  of  Luxemborg. 

Let  us  hastily  review  the  succeeding  labors  and  experi- 
ences of  Smith,  as  recorded  and  accepted  by  Mormons. 
For  three  years  he  received  no  further  vision.     During 


Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mormonism    51 

this  time  he  hved  as  other  young  men  Hved,  doubtless 
neither  better  nor  worse  than  his  neighbors,  though  later 
on,  he  accuses  himself  of  a  "  levity  not  consistent  with 
that  character  which  ought  to  be  maintained  by  one  who 
was  called  of  God  as  I  had  been,"  Praying  to  God  for 
forgiveness,  one  night,  another  vision  appeared  to  him. 
This  time  it  was  the  angel  Moroni,  who  announced  "  that 
God  had  a  work  for  me  to  do ;  and  that  my  name  should 
be  had  for  good  and  evil  among  all  nations,  kindreds  and 
tongues,  or  that  it  should  be  both  good  and  evil  spoken 
of  among  all  people."  He  also  revealed  that  "  there  was 
a  book  written  upon  gold  plates,  giving  an  account  of  the 
former  inhabitants  of  this  continent,  and  the  source  from 
which  they  sprang.  He  also  said  that  the  fullness  of  the 
everlasting  gospel  was  contained  in  it  "  and  that  with  the 
book  would  be  found  two  stones  in  silver  bows  —  the 
Urim  and  Thummim  —  which  would  enable  him  to  trans- 
late the  book. 

Again  and  yet  again  Moroni  appeared  to  him  with  the 
same  revelation,  and  on  a  fourth  occasion  he  commanded 
Joseph  to  tell  everything  he  had  heard  to  his  father.  He 
did  so,  and  then  further  obeying  the  commands  of  Moroni, 
he  went  to  the  hill  where  the  sacred  book  was  said  to  be. 
It  was  near  to  Manchester,  Ontario  county,  New  York, 
and  is  known  as  the  hill  Cumorah.  Here,  in  a  stone  box, 
the  plates,  etc.,  were  found,  but  he  was  not  allowed  to 
remove  them.  Instead,  each  year  for  four  years,  he  was 
required  to  visit  the  place,  after  which  he  was  to  take 
away  the  plates.  Accordingly,  on  September  22,  1827, 
he  went  for  that  purpose,  and  secured  them.  The  news 
led  to  strenuous  efforts  on  the  part  of  enemies  to  get  them 
away  from  him,  and  to  frustrate  these  efforts  he  decided 
to  move  into  Pennsylvania.  A  friend,  Martin  Harris, 
advanced  him  $50.00  for  this  purpose,  and  it  was  this 
same  Harris  that  afterwards  wrote  part  of  the  translation 
of  the  book,  at  Joseph's  dictation.     But  when  about  one 


52        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

hundred  and  sixteen  pages  had  been  written,  Harris'  desire 
to  show  the  manuscript  overcame  Joseph's  rehictance,  and 
after  many  pledges,  Harris  was  allowed  to  take  the  manu- 
script away.  Violating  his  pledges,  those  to  whom  he 
wrongfully  showed  the  writings  stole  them  from  him. 

To  frustrate  the  evil  designs  of  these  thieves  Joseph 
received  a  revelation  in  which  the  Lord  rebuked  him  and 
forbade  him  attempting  to  retranslate  that  which  had  been 
written,  but  instructed  him  to  translate  from  the  "  Smaller 
Plates  of  Nephi,"  which  contained  a  fuller  history  for  the 
period  covered  by  the  first  translation,  which  had  been 
made  from  Mormon's  abridgment  of  the  "  Larger  Plates 
of  Nephi." 

At  the  same  time  a  new  scribe,  in  the  person  of  Oliver 
Cowdery,  was  sent  to  Joseph.  Persecutions  also  began  to 
be  showered  upon  Joseph  and  his  discovery  of  the  plates 
denounced  as  a  fraud. 

"  Revelations  "  now  came  speedily  one  after  another. 
One  restored  the  Aaronic  Priesthood,  "  which  holds  the 
keys  of  the  ministering  of  angels,  and  of  the  Gospel  of 
repentance,  and  of  Baptism  by  immersion  for  the  remis- 
sion of  sins;"  then  came  the  Priesthood  of  Melchizedek; 
other  revelations  guided  Joseph  in  his  relations  with  his 
family  and  followers,  the  organization  of  the  Church,  the 
publication  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  (which  took  place  in 
1830),  and  the  public  ministry  of  the  newly  organized 
church.  At  this  time  the  spirit  of  persecution  began  to 
rage  against  the  Mormons  more  furiously  than  hitherto 
it  had  done.  The  meetings  were  well  attended,  but  when 
a  public  baptism  by  immersion  was  announced,  the  mob 
assembled,  and  that  same  night  the  prophet  was  arrested. 
After  trial,  in  spite  of  all  that  vindictive  hatred  could  pro- 
duce against  him,  the  accused  was  discharged.  Yet  the 
same  night  he  was  again  arrested,  again  tried  in  another 
place,  and  again  acquitted.  From  this  time  on,  to  the  day 
of  the  prophet's  murder  in  Carthage  jail,  June  27,  1844, 


Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mormonism    53 

the  persecutions  never  ceased.  In  spite  of  these  mahcious 
attacks,  however,  Joseph  proceeded  with  his  work.  The 
sick  were  healed,  not  in  one  but  in  many  cases;  mis- 
sionaries were  sent  to  the  Indians;  preachings,  conver- 
sions, and  baptisms  took  place  continually,  and  branches 
of  the  Church  sprang  up  on  every  hand.  One  of  these 
was  at  Kirtland,  Ohio,  and  in  183 1  Joseph  removed 
thither,  at  which  place  new  revelations  were  received  per- 
taining to  special  individuals,  the  Shakers,  spiritualism, 
and  the  enlarging  work  of  the  church.  In  June,  the  com- 
mand came  that  Smith  and  certain  elders  should  remove 
into  Missouri,  preaching  on  the  way,  two  by  two.  Here, 
it  was  promised  if  they  were  faithful,  the  land  of  their 
inheritance,  even  the  place  for  the  city  of  the  New  Jeru- 
salem, the  holy  city  of  Zion,  should  be  revealed  to  them. 
On  the  second  day  of  August,  the  first  log  was  laid  for  a 
house,  as  a  foundation  for  Zion,  in  Kaw  township,  twelve 
miles  west  of  Independence.  A  site  for  a  temple  was 
chosen  and  dedicated.  Joseph  now  returned  to  Kirtland, 
and  in  September,  moved  to  Hiram,  to  the  home  of  John 
Johnson  and  began  a  revision  of  the  English  text  of  the 
Bible,  at  the  same  time  receiving  most  important  "  com- 
mandments and  revelations."  In  the  meantime  the  Mis- 
souri brethren  had  purchased  a  printing  press  and  estab- 
lished a  complete  newspaper  and  book-making  plant  at 
Independence,  where  a  monthly  paper.  The  Evening  and 
Morning  Star  was  to  be  published.  While  at  Hiram,  a 
mob  of  fanatics  tarred  and  feathered  the  prophet  and 
Sydney  Rigdon,  yet  the  following  morning,  Joseph, — 
though  scarified  and  defaced,  —  preached  to  the  congre- 
gation as  usual,  for  he  had  received  a  revelation  that,  for 
a  time,  he  must  personally  proclaim  the  enlarged  gospel 
he  had  received. 

In  April,  1832,  he  made  his  second  trip  to  Zion  (Mis- 
souri), but  even  on  the  journey  he  was  followed  by  a  mob 
that  sought  his  injury  or  destruction,  and  he  had  to  be 


54        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 


protected  by  the  captain  of  the  boat  on  which  the  party 
traveled. 

The  pubhcation  of  The  Evening  and  Morning  Star, 
while  it  rejoiced  the  hearts  of  the  Mormons,  caused  in- 
creased hostility  towards  them,  for  the  editors  of  other 
papers,  publishing  the  prospectus  of  the  new  paper,  did  it 
for  the  purpose  of  ridiculing  it,  or  calumniating  its  editor 
and  generally  abusing  the  Mormons. 

Looked  at  in  the  light  of  later  and  earthly  wisdom  the 
move  into  Missouri  was  an  ill-advised  one.  Many  among 
the  Mormons  were  a  progressive,  active,  alert  people, 
with  strong  religious  convictions,  and  avowed  opponents 
of  whiskey  and  slavery.  These  things  in  themselves  were 
enough  to  provoke  the  active  hostility  of  the  less  intelli- 
gent of  the  Missouri  people,  and  especially  of  those  whose 
hearts  were  wedded  to  slavery. 

It  was  not  long,  therefore,  before  persecution  burst 
forth  with  renewed  fury.  In  July  of  1833  the  mob  spirit 
was  aroused  to  the  height  of  murderous  wrath  by  the 
fanaticism  of  bigoted  zealots,  and  fanned  by  the  spread- 
ing of  injurious  statements  about  the  Mormons  in  the 
newspapers  and  by  pamphlets.  The  outcome  was  a  "  Mani- 
festo "  issued  by  the  people  hostile  to  the  Mormons, 
charging  them  with  being  fools  and  knaves  for  believing 
in  their  leaders  and  their  alleged  divine  revelations ;  with 
poverty;  with  being  of  the  dregs  of  society,  lazy,  idle  and 
vicious ;  with  tampering  with  their  slaves  and  seeking  to 
sow  dissensions  and  raise  seditions  among  them;  with 
inviting  free  negroes  and  mulattos  from  other  states  to 
become  Mormons  and  settle  in  Jackson  County  with  them ; 
with  blaspheming  God  and  casting  contempt  on  His  holy 
religion  by  pretending  to  receive  revelations  direct  from 
heaven;  by  pretending  to  speak  in  unknown  tongues  by 
direct  inspiration;  and  by  diverse  pretenses  derogatory  to 
God  and  religion,  and  the  utter  subversion  of  human  rea- 


Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mormonism    55 

son.  This  remarkable  doaiment,  signed  by  many  promi- 
nent citizens,  then  conckides : 

"They  (the  Mormons)  declare  openly  that  their  God 
hath  given  them  this  county  of  land  and  that  sooner  or 
later  they  must  and  will  have  possession  of  our  land  for 
an  inheritance;  and,  in  fine,  they  have  conducted  them- 
selves on  many  other  occasions,  in  such  a  manner,  that  we 
believe  it  a  duty  we  owe  to  ourselves,  our  wives,  and 
children,  to  the  cause  of  public  morals,  to  remove  them 
from  among  us*  as  we  are  not  prepared  to  give  up  our 
pleasant  places  and  goodly  possessions  to  them,  or  to 
receive  into  the  bosoms  of  our  families,  as  fit  companions 
for  our  wives  and  daughters,  the  degraded  and  corrupt 
free  negroes  and  mulattos  that  are  now  invited  to  settle 
among  us. 

"  Under  such  a  state  of  things,  even  our  beautiful 
county  would  cease  to  be  a  desirable  residence,  and  our 
situation  intolerable.  We,  therefore,  agree,  that  after 
timely  warning,  and  receiving  an  adequate  compensation 
for  what  little  property  they  cannot  take  with  them,  they 
refuse  to  leave  us  in  peace,  as  they  found  us  —  we  agree 
to  use  such  means  as  may  be  sufficient  to  remove  them, 
and  to  that  end  we  each  pledge  to  each  other  our  bodily 
powers,  our  lives,  fortunes  and  sacred  honors." 

Needless  to  say  the  Mormons  denied  the  charges  about 
slaves,  and  that  they  had  invited  free  negroes  to  join 
them,  though  they  acknowledged  their  poverty  and  their 
revival  of  what  they  claimed  was  the  New  Testament 
religion.  They  asserted  what,  of  course,  all  knew  was  the 
fact,  that  they  had  settled  upon  no  lands  their  own  money 
had  not  purchased,  and  indignantly  disclaimed  that  they 
had  ever  had  any  intention  to  do  otherwise. 

But  mobs  are  not  made  to  listen  to  reason.  Prejudice, 
hatred  and  violence  are  the  forces  that  make  mobs  possi- 
ble.    This  Missouri  mob,  on  the  20th  of  July,    1833, 

•The  italics  are  mine — George  Wharton  James. 


r>n         Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

destroyed  the  printing  plant  at  Independence  and  pulled 
down  the  building  which  housed  it,  then  proceeded  to  tar 
and  feather  Bishop  Partridge,  Charles  Allen  and  others, 
while  men,  women,  and  children,  driven  from  their  homes 
by  awful  threats,  scattered  through  the  thickets,  corn- 
fields, woods  and  groves  like  hunted  partridges. 

The  Mormons  claim  that  during  all  these  illegal  pro- 
ceedings the  Lieutenant  Governor  of  the  state,  Lilburn  W. 
Boggs,  stood  by,  calmly  looking  on,  and  saying  to  the 
victims  :  "  You  now  know  what  our  Jackson  boys  can  do, 
and  you  must  leave  the  county." 

Three  days  later  the  mob  met  again,  and,  realizing  the 
determined  character  of  its  leaders  and  the  sad  fact  that 
they  could  look  for  no  protection  from  the  duly  consti- 
tuted officers  of  the  law,  the  Mormon  leaders  entered  into 
an  agreement  to  leave  the  county  within  a  certain  time. 

They  then  appealed  to  the  Governor  of  the  state,  Daniel 
Dunklin,  and  in  due  time  received  a  letter  from  him  con- 
taining the  usual  platitudes  about  ours  being  a  country  of 
laws  and  justice.  He  then  continues : 
V,  "  Not  being  willing  to  persuade  myself  that  any  portion 
of  the  citizens  of  the  state  of  Missouri  are  so  lost  to  a 
sense  of  these  truths  as  to  require  the  exercise  of  force, 
in  order  to  ensure  a  respect  for  them,  after  advising  with 
the  Attorney-General  and  exercising  my  best  judgment,  I 
would  advise  you  to  make  a  trial  of  the  efficacy  of  the 
laws.  The  judge  of  your  circuit  is  a  conservator  of  the 
peace;  if  an  affidavit  is  made  before  him  by  any  of  you, 
that  your  lives  are  threatened,  and  you  believe  them  in 
danger,  it  would  be  his  duty  to  have  the  offenders  appre- 
hended, and  bind  them  to  keep  the  peace." 

Following  this  advice  from  the  highest  executive 
authority  in  the  state,  engaging  counsel  to  prosecute  their 
suits,  simply  served  further  to  enrage  the  mob, —  and  I 
use  the  word  advisedly,  though  it  included  many  of  the 
leading  citizens,  even  Christian  ministers  by  profession, 


Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mormonism    57 

of  the  county  —  so  that  on  the  31st  of  October,  armed 
men  unroofed  and  partially  demolished  the  dwelling- 
houses  at  a  Mormon  settlement  on  the  Big  Blue,  whipped 
the  men  and  drove  out  the  women  and  children.  The  fol- 
lowing days  saw  outrages  at  the  prairie  settlement,  about 
twelve  miles  from  Independence,  and  in  the  latter  city 
itself.  Every  attempt  at  self-defense  on  the  part  of  the 
Mormons  served  to  enrage  the  mob  the  more,  and  dire 
threats  were  made  as  to  what  would  happen  the  following 
Monday.  Arming  themselves,  some  of  the  Mormons 
sought  to  protect  their  homes,  wives  and  children.  In  a 
bloody  battle  that  followed  two  of  the  mob  and  one  Mor- 
mon were  killed.  This  started  open  conflict  so  that  the 
militia  was  called  out,  and  both  sides  now  being  in  a  des- 
perate state  of  mind  it  was  hard  to  find  wise  counsel  any- 
where. To  preserve  the  peace,  however,  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Boggs  advised  disarmament.  According  to  the 
Mormons  this  was  but  a  subterfuge  to  take  away  their 
weapons  and  thus  leave  them  unprotected.  Anyhow  it 
worked  out  that  way,  and  the  militia  now  became  the 
active  instruments  of  mob  violence,  destroying  houses  and 
other  property,  and  driving  out  men,  women  and  children, 
so  that  they  actually  fled  for  their  lives.  Some  crossed 
the  Missouri  River,  others  fled  to  Clay,  Van  Buren  and 
Lafayette  counties,  but  wherever  they  went,  it  was 
made  clear  they  were  not  wanted.  Petitions  were  again 
sent  to  the  Governor  asking  for  protection,  and  —  in 
accordance  with  a  suggestion  received  from  the  Attorney- 
General  of  the  state  —  also  asking  that  they  might  be 
allowed  "  to  organize  into  companies  of  Jackson  guards 
and  be  furnished  with  arms  by  the  state,  to  assist  in  main- 
taining their  rights  against  the  unhallowed  mob  of  Jack- 
son County." 

At  about  this  time,  the  prophet,  who  had  been  on  an 
extended  mission  to  Canada,  returned  and  forwarded  the 
following  letter  to  the  suffering  saints  in  Missouri.     I 


58        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

give  it  in  full,  in  order  that  my  readers  may  see  the  style 
of  his  communications,  and  also  that  they  may  see  the 
workings  of  his  mind  upon  so  complex  and  difficult  a 
situation : 

"  Kirtland  Mills,  Ohio, 
"  December  lo,  1833. 

**  Edward  Partridge,  W.  W.  Phelps,  John  Whitmer, 
A.  S.  Gilbert,  John  Corrill,  Isaac  Morley,  and  all  the 
Saints  whom  it  may  concern : 

"Beloved  Brethren:  —  This  morning's  mail  brought 
letters  from  Bishop  Partridge,  Elders  Corrill  and  Phelps, 
all  mailed  at  Liberty,  November  19th,  which  gave  us  the 
melancholy  intelligence  of  your  flight  from  the  land  of 
your  inheritance,  having  been  driven  before  the  face  of 
your  enemies  in  that  place. 

"  From  previous  letters  we  learned  that  a  number  of 
our  brethren  had  been  slain,  but  we  could  not  learn  from 
the  letters  referred  to  above,  that  there  had  been  more 
than  one  killed,  and  that  one  Brother  Barber;  and  that 
Brother  Dibble  was  wounded  in  the  bowels.  We  were 
thankful  to  learn  that  no  more  had  been  slain,  and  our 
daily  prayers  are  that  the  Lord  will  not  suffer  His  Saints, 
who  have  gone  up  to  His  land  to  keep  His  command- 
ments, to  stain  His  holy  mountain  with  their  blood. 

"  I  cannot  learn  from  any  communication  by  the  Spirit 
to  me,  that  Zion  has  forfeited  her  claim  to  a  celestial 
crown,  notwithstanding  the  Lord  has  caused  her  to  be 
thus  afflicted,  except  it  may  be  some  individuals  who  have 
walked  in  disobedience,  and  forsaken  the  new  covenant, 
all  such  will  be  made  manifest  by  their  works  in  due  time. 
I  have  always  expected  that  Zion  would  suffer  some  afflic- 
tion, from  what  I  could  learn  from  the  commandments 
which  have  been  given.  But  I  would  remind  you  of  a 
certain  clause  in  one  which  says,  that  after  much  tribula- 
tion Cometh  the  blessing.  By  this,  and  also  others,  and 
also  one  received  of  late,  I  know  that  Zion,  in  the  due 


Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mormonism    59 

time  of  the  Lord,  will  be  redeemed ;  but  how  many  will  be 
the  days  of  her  purification,  tribulation,  and  affliction,  the 
Lord  has  kept  hid  from  my  eyes;  and  when  I  inquire  con- 
cerning this  subject,  the  voice  of  the  Lord  is :  Be  still, 
and  know  that  I  am  God,  all  those  who  suffer  for  my 
name  shall  reign  with  me,  and  he  that  layeth  down  his 
life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it  again. 

"  Now,  there  are  two  things  of  which  I  am  ignorant, 
and  the  Lord  will  not  show  them  unto  me,  perhaps  for  a 
wise  purpose  in  Himself,  I  mean  in  some  respects,  and 
they  are  these :  Why  God  has  suffered  so  great  a  calam- 
ity to  come  upon  Zion,  and  what  the  great  moving  cause 
of  this  great  affliction  is ;  and  again,  by  what  means  he 
will  return  her  back  to  her  inheritance,  with  songs  of  ever- 
lasting joy  upon  her  head.  These  two  things,  brethren, 
are  in  part  kept  back  that  they  are  not  plainly  shown 
unto  me ;  but  there  are  some  things  that  are  plainly  mani- 
fest which  have  incurred  the  displeasure  of  the  Almighty. 
When  I  contemplate  upon  all  things  that  have  been  mani- 
fested, I  am  aware  that  I  ought  not  to  murmur,  and  do 
not  murmur,  only  in  this,  that  those  who  are  innocent  are 
compelled  to  suffer  for  the  iniquities  of  the  guilty;  and  I 
cannot  account  for  this,  only  on  this  wise,  that  the  say- 
ing of  the  Savior  has  not  been  strictly  observed:  *  If  thy 
right  eye  offend  thee,  pluck  it  out,  and  cast  it  from  thee; 
or  if  thy  right  arm  offend  thee,  cut  it  off,  and  cast  it  from 
thee.'  Now  the  fact  is,  if  any  of  the  members  of  our 
body  are  disordered  the  rest  of  our  body  will  be  affected 
with  it,  and  then  all  are  brought  into  bondage  together; 
and  yet,  notwithstanding  all  this,  it  is  with  difficulty  that 
I  can  restrain  my  feelings  when  I  know  that  you,  my 
brethren  with  whom  I  have  had  so  many  happy  hours, 
sitting,  as  it  were,  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus ;  and 
also,  having  the  witness  which  I  feel,  and  ever  have  felt, 
of  the  purity  of  your  motives,  are  cast  out,  and  are  as 
strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the  earth,  exposed  to  hunger, 


fiO        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

cold,  nakedness,  peril,  sword,  I  say  when  I  contemplate 
this,  it  is  with  difficulty  that  I  can  keep  from  complaining 
and  murnniring  against  this  dispensation ;  but  I  am  sensi- 
ble that  this  is  not  right,  and  may  God  grant  that  notwith- 
standing your  great  afflictions  and  sufferings  there  may 
not  anything  separate  us  from  the  love  of  Christ. 

"  Brethren,  when  we  learn  your  sufferings,  it  awakens 
every  sympathy  of  our  hearts;  it  weighs  us  down;  we 
cannot  refrain  from  tears,  yet,  we  are  not  able  to  realize, 
only  in  part,  your  sufferings ;  and  I  often  hear  the  breth- 
ren saying,  they  wish  they  were  with  you,  that  they  might 
bear  a  part  of  your  sufferings  and  I  myself  should  have 
been  with  you  and  had  not  God  prevented  it  in  the  order 
of  His  providence,  that  the  yoke  of  affliction  might  be  less 
grievous  upon  you,  God  having  forewarned  me,  concern- 
ing these  things,  for  your  sake ;  and  also,  Elder  Cowdery 
could  not  lighten  your  afflictions  by  tarrying  longer  with 
you,  for  his  presence  would  have  so  much  the  more 
enraged  your  enemies ;  therefore  God  hath  dealt  merci- 
fully with  us.  O  brethren,  let  us  be  thankful  that  it  is 
as  well  with  us  as  it  is,  and  we  are  yet  alive  and  perad- 
venture,  God  hath  laid  up  in  store  great  good  for  us  in 
this  generation,  and  may  grant  that  we  may  yet  glorify 
His  name. 

"  I  feel  thankful  that  there  have  no  more  denied  the 
faith ;  I  pray  God  in  the  name  of  Jesus  that  you  all  may 
be  kept  in  the  faith  unto  the  end;  let  your  sufferings  be 
what  they  may,  it  is  better  in  the  eyes  of  God  that  you 
should  die,  than  that  you  should  give  up  the  land  of  Zion, 
the  inheritances  which  you  have  purchased  with  your 
moneys ;  for  every  man  that  giveth  not  up  his  inheritance, 
though  he  should  die,  yet,  when  the  Lord  shall  come,  he 
shall  stand  upon  it,  and  with  Job,  in  his  flesh  he  shall  see 
God,  therefore,  this  is  my  counsel  that  you  retain  your 
lands,  even  unto  the  uttermost,  and  employ  every  lawful 
means  to  seek  redress  of  your  enemies ;  and  pray  to  God, 


Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mormonism    Gl 

day  and  night,  to  return  you  in  peace  and  in  safety  to  the 
lands  of  your  inheritance;  and  when  the  judge  fail  you, 
appeal  unto  the  executive;  and  when  the  executive  fail 
you,  appeal  unto  the  president,  and  when  the  president 
fail  you,  and  all  laws  fail  you,  and  the  humanity  of  the 
people  fail  you,  and  all  things  else  fail  you  but  GckI  alone, 
and  you  continue  to  weary  Him  with  your  importunings, 
as  the  poor  woman  did  the  unjust  judge.  He  will  not  fail 
to  execute  judgment  upon  your  enemies  and  to  avenge 
His  own  elect  that  cry  unto  Him  day  and  night. 

"  Behold,  He  will  not  fail  you !  He  will  come  with 
ten  thousand  of  His  Saints,  and  all  His  adversaries  shall 
be  destroyed  with  the  breath  of  His  lips.  All  those  who 
keep  their  inheritances,  notwithstanding  they  should  be 
beaten  and  driven,  shall  be  likened  unto  the  wise  virgins 
who  took  oil  in  their  lamps.  But  all  those  who  are  unbe- 
lieving and  fearful,  will  be  likened  unto  the  foolish 
virgins,  who  took  no  oil  in  their  lamps :  and  when  they 
shall  return  and  say  unto  the  Saints,  give  us  of  your 
lands,  behold,  there  will  be  no  room  found  for  them.  As 
respects  giving  deeds,  I  would  advise  you  to  give  deeds  as 
far  as  the  brethren  had  legal  and  just  claims  to  them,  and 
then  let  every  man  answer  to  God  for  the  disposal 
of  them. 

"  I  would  suggest  some  ideas  to  Elder  Phelps,  not 
knowing  that  they  will  be  of  any  real  benefit,  but  suggest 
them  for  consideration.  I  would  be  glad  if  he  were 
here,  were  it  possible  for  him  to  come,  but  dare  not 
advise,  not  knowing  what  shall  befall  us,  as  we  are  under 
very  heavy  and  serious  threatenings,  from  a  great  many 
people  in  this  place. 

"  But,  perhaps,  the  people  in  Liberty  may  feel  willing, 
God  having  power  to  soften  the  hearts  of  all  men,  to 
have  a  press  established  there;  and  if  not,  in  some  other 
place ;  any  place  where  it  can  be  the  most  convenient,  and 
it  is  possible  to  get  to  it ;  God  will  be  willing  to  have  it  in 


(^'2        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

any  place  where  it  can  be  established  in  safety.  We 
must  be  wise  as  serpents  and  harmless  as  doves.  Again, 
I  desire  that  Elder  Phelps  should  collect  all  the  informa- 
tion, and  give  us  a  true  history  of  the  beginning  and  rise 
of  Zion,  and  her  calamities. 

"  Now  hear  the  prayer  of  your  unworthy  brother  in 
the  new  and  everlasting  covenant :  O  my  God !  Thou 
who  hast  called  and  chosen  a  few  through  Thy  weak 
instrument,  by  commandment,  and  sent  them  to  Missouri, 
a  place  which  Thou  didst  call  Zion,  and  commanded  Thy 
servants  to  consecrate  it  unto  Thyself  for  a  place  of 
refuge  and  safety  for  the  gathering  of  Thy  Saints,  to 
build  up  a  holy  city  unto  Thyself;  and  as  Thou  hast  said 
that  no  other  place  should  be  appointed  like  unto  this, 
therefore,  I  ask  Thee  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  to 
return  Thy  people  unto  their  houses  and  their  inherit- 
ances, to  enjoy  the  fruit  of  their  labors;  that  all  the 
waste  places  may  be  built  up;  that  all  the  enemies  of  Thy 
people,  who  will  not  repent  and  turn  unto  Thee,  may  be 
destroyed  from  off  the  face  of  the  land;  and  let  a  house 
be  built  and  established  unto  Thy  name,  and  let  all  the 
losses  that  Thy  people  have  sustained,  be  rewarded  unto 
them,  even  more  than  four  fold,  that  the  borders  of  Zion 
may  be  enlarged  forever;  and  let  her  be  established  no 
more  to  be  thrown  down;  and  let  all  Thy  Saints,  when 
they  are  scattered  as  sheep,  and  are  persecuted,  flee  unto 
Zion,  and  be  established  in  the  midst  of  her;  and  let  her 
be  organized  according  to  Thy  law  and  let  this  prayer 
ever  be  recorded  before  Thy  face.  Give  Thy  Holy  Spirit 
unto  my  brethren,  unto  whom  I  write ;  send  Thine  angels 
to  guard  them,  and  deliver  them  from  all  evil ;  and  when 
they  turn  their  faces  toward  Zion,  and  bow  down  before 
Thee  and  pray,  may  their  sins  never  come  up  before  Thy 
face,  neither  have  place  in  the  book  of  Thy  remem- 
brance, and  may  they  depart  from  all  their  iniquities. 
Provide   food   for  them  as  Thou  doest  for  the  ravens; 


Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mormonism    63 

provide  clothing  to  cover  their  nakedness,  and  houses  that 

they    may    dwell    therein;    give    unto    them    friends    in 

abundance  and  let  their  names  be  recorded  in  the  Lamb's 

book  of  life,  eternally  before  Thy  face.     Amen. 

"  Finally,  brethren,  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 

be    with   you    all    until    His    coming    in    His    kingdom. 

Amen.  ,  o  t    » 

Joseph  Smith,  Jr. 

The  Governor's  communications  having  seemed  to  be 
so  fair  and  impartial,  some  of  the  Mormons  finally 
agreed  to  go  to  Independence,  in  spite  of  the  threats  of 
the  mob,  under  protection  of  a  guard  provided  by  the 
Governor's  order.  But  on  their  arrival  they  found  all 
hope  of  criminal  prosecution  under  orderly  processes  of 
law  at  an  end.  Instead,  the  Attorney-General  was  sent 
by  the  Governor  to  "  investigate,"  but  the  mob  reassem- 
bled and  clearly  showed  by  its  implacable  spirit  that 
neither  the  civil  law  nor  even  the  influence  of  the  execu- 
tive could  change  their  purpose.  This  was  the  farcical 
ending  of  all  attempts  by  the  officers  of  Missouri  to  bring 
the  offenders  against  the  Mormons  to  justice. 

Accordingly  a  petition,  (a  second  one),  was  sent  to  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  a  request  made  to 
Governor  Dunklin  that  he  join  in  the  appeal  of  the  Mor- 
mons. The  Governor  responded  that  he  would  examine 
the  petition  and  support  it  if  he  deemed  it  advisable,  and 
wound  up  his  letter  with  the  following  remarkable  para- 
graph : 

"  Permit  me  to  suggest  to  you,  that  as  you  now  have 
greatly  the  advantage  of  your  adversaries  in  public  esti- 
mation, there  is  a  great  propriety  in  retaining  that  advan- 
tage, which  you  can  easily  do  by  keeping  your  adversaries 
in  the  wrong.  The  laws,  both  civil  and  military,  seem 
deficient  in  affording  your  society  proper  protection; 
nevertheless,  public  sentiment  is  a  powerful  corrector  of 


64        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 


error,  and  you  should  make  it  your  policy  to  continue  to 
deserve  it."  , 

The  movements  of  the  mobs  in  Missouri  seemed  to 
affect  the  people  in  far-away  Kirtland.  The  walls  of  the 
new  temple  that  were  being  built  had  to  be  watched  at 
night  to  prevent  their  being  destroyed.  Yet  this  did  not 
prevent  the  prophet  from  setting  out  on  a  missionary 
journey  through  western  New*  York,  whidli  was  no 
sooner  accomplished  than  he  started,  May  5,  1834,  with 
what  was  called  "  Zion's  Camp  "  for  the  relief  of  the 
persecuted  saints  in  Missouri.  They  marched  through 
Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  finally  reached  the  region  of 
distress  about  the  19th  of  June,  having  had  many  inter- 
esting experiences  on  the  journey.  The  party  by  this 
time  had  enlarged  to  over  two  hundred  men,  with  twenty- 
five  baggage  wagons.  That  night  five  armed  men  rode 
into  camp  and  told  the  Mormons  they  would  "  see  hell 
before  morning,"  that  sixty  men  were  coming  from  Rich- 
mond, Ray  County,  and  seventy  more  from  Clay  County, 
to  join  the  Jackson  County  mob,  who  had  sworn  their 
destruction.  That  night,  however,  a  fearful  rain-  and 
hail-storm  swept  the  country,  and  while  it  did  little 
damage  to  the  Mormons,  it  scattered  the  mob  in 
confusion. 

Negotiations  were  again  begun  between  the  citizens  of 
Missouri  and  the  Mormons,  as  it  was  clear  that  the 
pledges  of  the  Governor  to  replace  the  Mormons  upon 
their  lands,  and  to  return  their  weapons  to  them,  would 
not  be  fulfilled,  and  the  hostility  of  the  mob  had  not 
abated.  Matters  were  considerably  hurried  by  the  break- 
ing out  of  cholera  among  the  members  of  Zion's  Camp. 
The  prophet  at  first  sought  to  stop  the  death  ravages  by 
laying  on  of  hands  and  prayer,  as  he  had  many  times 
done  in  the  past  with  eminent  success,  but  he  found  that 
the  power  was  taken  from  him,  and  he  publicly  announced 


Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mormonism    65 

that  the  plague  was  a  direct  visitation  upon  the  people 
for  their  sins.  For  four  days  the  disease  raged,  sixty- 
eight  being  afflicted,  of  whom  fourteen  died. 

A  few  days  later,  recognizing  the  indisposition  of  the 
Governor  to  help  resecure  their  lands,  and  the  continued 
'  hostility  of  the  people,  and  to  prevent  bloodshed,  Joseph 
authorized  the  disbanding  of  Zion's  Camp,  and  about 
the  same  time  a  general  appeal  was  sent  out  by  the 
Church  for  peace,  justice  and  protection.  In  spite  of  all 
opposition,  all  persecution,  and  every  indication  to  the 
contrary,  the  prophet  still  was  assured  that  God  intended 
the  chosen  spot  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  to  be  Zion, 
the  gathering  place  of  the  saints.  In  1835  he  informed 
the  twelve  apostles  that  "  It  was  the  will  of  God  that  they 
should  take  their  families  to  Missouri  next  season." 

During  these  trying  times,  which  might  well  have  dis- 
tracted the  attention  of  any  man,  the  prophet  continued 
in  his  work  of  caring  for  the  Church,  translating  certain 
Egyptian  records  that  had  come  to  him,  lecturing  for  the 
elders,  rebuking,  counseling,  and  also  studying  Hebrew 
and  Greek. 

In  March,  1836,  the  temple  at  Kirtland,  Ohio,  was 
dedicated,  and  the  thousand  saints  present  were  doubtless 
surprised  to  find  the  prophet  himself,  and  the  two  elders, 
Rigdon  and  Cowdery,  acting  as  ushers  in  seating  them. 
Besides  those  seated  there  was  a  vast  crowd  outside  who 
could  not  be  admitted  for  lack  of  room,  so  an  overflow 
meeting  was  held  in  the  school-house. 

The  services  began  by  the  reading  of  the  96th  and  24th 
psalms,  after  which  there  were  hymns  and  prayer  in  the 
usual  manner.  It  will  be  a  great  surprise  to  many 
Methodists,  and  other  Protestants,  that  one  of  their 
favorite  hymns  was  written  by  a  Mormon,  W.  W.  Phelps, 
and  was  first  sung  at  the  dedication  of  this  temple. 
These  are  the  words : 


(>()        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

"  O  happy  souls,  who  pray 

Where  God  appoints  to  hear ! 
O  happy  saints,  who  pay 
Their  constant  service  there! 
We'll  praise  Him  still 
And  happy  we 
Who  love  the  way 
To  Zion's  hill. 

"  No  burning  heat  by  day, 
Nor  blast  of  evening  air, 
Shall  take  our  health  away, 
If  God  be  with  us  there. 
He  is  our  sun, 
And  He  our  shade 
To  guard  our  head 
By  night  or  noon, 

"  God  is  the  only  Lord, 

Our  shield  and  our  defense; 
With  gifts  His  hands  are  stored, 
We  draw  our  blessings  thence. 
He  will  bestow 
On  Jacob's  race 
Peculiar  grace. 
And  glory,  too." 

Another  of  the  popular  hymns  of  the  Mormons  (which 
I  have  many  times  heard  sung  with  great  unction), 
written  by  the  same  author,  was  also  sung  on  this 
occasion : 

"Now  let  us  rejoice  in  the  day  of  salvation ; 
No  longer  as  strangers  on  earth  need  we  roam ; 
Good  tidings  are  sounding  to  us  and  each  nation, 
And  shortly  the  hour  of  redemption  will  come; 


Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mormonlsm    (>7 

When  all  that  was  promised  the  Saints  will  be  given, 
And  none  will  molest  them  from  morn  until  even ; 
And  earth  will  appear  as  the  Garden  of  Eden; 
And  Jesus  will  say  to  all  Israel,  Come  home. 

"We'll  love  one  another,  and  never  dissemble, 
But  cease  to  do  evil,  and  ever  be  one ; 
And  while  the  ungodly  are  fearing  and  tremble. 
We'll  watch  for  the  day  when  the  Savior  will  come ; 
When  all  that  was  promised  the  Saints  will  be  given, 
And  none  will  molest  them  from  morn  until  even; 
And  earth  will  appear  as  the  Garden  of  Eden; 
And  Jesus  will  say  to  all  Israel,  Come  home. 

"In  faith  we'll  rely  on  the  arm  of  Jehovah 
To  guide  through  these  last  days  of  trouble  and  gloom ; 
And,  after  the  scourges  and  harvest  are  over, 
We'll  rise  with  the  just  when  the  Savior  doth  come. 
Then  all  that  was  promised  the  Saints  will  be  given, 
And  they  will  be  crowned  as  the  angels  of  heaven, 
And  earth  will  appear  as  the  Garden  of  Eden, 
And  Christ  and  His  people  will  ever  be  one." 

The  dedicatory  prayer,  offered  on  that  occasion,  is 
claimed  to  have  been  given  by  revelation  to  the  prophet 
Joseph.  Whatever  its  origin,  it  is  a  noble  and  majestic 
composition,  full  of  wisdom  and  in  the  true  spirit  of  sup- 
plication, faith  and  love. 

In  the  meantime  many  of  the  victims  of  the  persecu- 
tions in  Missouri  had  moved  into  Caldwell,  Daviess,  and 
Carroll  Counties,  their  chief  settlement  being  at  Far 
West  in  Caldwell,  their  hope  being  that,  having  moved 
into  the  untracked  wilds,  they  would  there  at  least  be 
allowed  to  establish  their  homes  and  live  in  accordance 
with  their  own  ideas.  Those  who  had  moved  into  Clay 
County  were   now   requested  to  leave  —  this,   however, 


68        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

was  done  in  a  kind  and  considerate  manner  —  and  the 
mob  of  Daviess  County  was  demanding  the  same  of  the 
Mormons  who  had  settled  there. 

Events  now  began  to  move  with  greater  rapidity.  The 
hostihty  to  the  Mormons  was  increasing  in  Ohio,  and  not 
only  that,  but  the  prophet  was  meeting  with  fearful 
troubles  of  several  serious  kinds  among  his  own  people. 
The  year  1837  was  one  of  reckless  speculation  through- 
out the  country,  and  some  of  the  Mormons  in  Kirtland, 
unfortunately,  were  not  strong  enough  in  spiritual  things 
to  resist  the  temptation  to  make  money  swiftly.  As  the 
fruits  of  this  spirit  of  selfishness,  evil  surmisings,  fault- 
finding, disunion,  dissension,  and  apostasy  followed  in 
quick  succession,  and  a  bank,  largely  organized  by  the 
saints,  failed,  owing  to  the  speculations  of  one  of  its 
officers.  Even  some  of  the  elect,  the  twelve  apostles, 
were  infected  by  the  craving  for  easy  money,  and  the 
whole  Church  began  to  suffer  as  from  a  blight.  In  this 
crisis  Joseph  did  what  nothing  but  inspiration  or  great 
statesmanship  could  have  suggested.  He  sent  a  mission 
to  England,  and  at  the  same  time  began  to  take  positive 
steps  to  purge  the  Church  of  those  who  had  backslidden, 
or  apostatized,  and  Oliver  Cowdery,  Martin  Harris  and 
David  Whitmer,  the  three  first  witnesses  to  assert  the 
divine  origin  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  w^ere  all  severed 
from  the  Church. 

In  the  meantime,  in  spite  of  all  hostility,  the  work 
progressed  at  Far  West,  Missouri,  and  it  was  much 
hastened  in  January,  1838,  by  the  prophet's  presence,  he 
having  been  compelled  to  flee,  with  Sidney  Rigdon,  from 
Kirtland.  On  the  following  4th  of  July,  Sidney  Rigdon 
was  the  orator  of  the  day  at  the  Independence  Day  Cele- 
bration at  Far  West,  and  his  speech  has  ever  since  been 
condemned  as  being  too  bitter  against  the  mobs,  and 
wrong  in  spirit,  as  it  contained  threats  as  to  what  the 
Mormons  would  do  did  the  mobs  again  assail  them. 


Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mormonlsm    09 

They  were  soon  put  to  the  test.  The  Mormons  in 
Missouri  now  numbered  about  12,000,  and  about  500 
more,  who  had  fled  from  Kirtland,  soon  joined  them. 
The  spirit  of  the  mob  is  well  described  by  Bancroft  in  his 
volume  on  Utah : 

"  Right  or  wrong,  law  or  no  law,  and  whether  in 
accord  with  the  letter  or  the  spirit  or  constitution  or  gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  or  not,  the  people  of  Mis- 
souri had  determined  that  they  would  go  to  any  length 
before  they  would  allow  the  saints  to  obtain  political 
ascendancy  in  that  quarter." 

The  trouble  really  began  at  Gallatin,  Daviess  County, 
on  the  6th  of  August,  1838.  A  state  election  was  in 
progress  and  twelve  Mormons  appeared  at  the  polls  to 
vote.  Peniston,  a  candidate  for  the  legislature,  made  a 
violent  harangue  against  them  to  the  crowd  assembled, 
and  while  the  Mormons  were  firm  in  their  resolve  to  cast 
their  ballots,  a  tumult  ensued  in  which  some  of  the  Mor- 
mons and  mob  were  injured.  This  tumult  led  to  serious 
consequences,  for  Joseph  and  others  went  to  call  upon  a 
certain  justice  of  the  peace  to  inquire  as  to  threats  he  had 
made,  and  on  being  asked  by  Joseph  to  write  out  a  pledge 
to  do  the  Mormons  justice  if  they  were  brought  before 
him,  he,  later,  swore  out  a  warrant  for  the  arrest  of 
Joseph  and  one  of  his  companions.  This  arrest  was 
made  and  consequently  angered  the  Mormons,  and  at  the 
same  time  urged  on  the  mob  spirit.  Then,  to  add  fuel 
to  the  fire,  Governor  Boggs,  of  Missouri,  ordered  out  the 
militia.  Again  and  again  the  mob  threatened  the  Mor- 
mons of  DeWitt,  and  the  militia  ostensibly  prevented  an 
uprising.  But  another  event  occurred  at  this  time  to 
increase  the  anger  of  the  mob.  The  persecutions  in  Ohio 
had  led  the  saints  to  flee  from  Kirtland,  and  they  came 
to  Missouri,  to  their  appointed  Zion.  There  were  105 
families,  comprising  529  souls,  (256  males,  273  females). 
They  had  their  teams  and  progressed  in  orderly  fashion. 


TO        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

with  various  adventures  more  or  less  exciting  until  they 
arrived  at  their  appointed  destination.  The  arrival  of 
so  large  a  body  of  Mormons  doubtless  helped  inflame 
the  Missourians,  and  new  mobs  were  raised,  Mormon 
houses  fired  upon,  and  even  the  people  shot  at  when  they 
left  their  homes  to  secure  food.  Finally  professed 
mediators  came  from  the  mob,  promising  that  no  harm 
should  be  done  to  the  Mormons,  and  their  property  should 
be  paid  for,  if  they  would  leave.  Seeing  that  justice 
could  not  be  had  either  from  the  civil  authorities  or  the 
militia,  the  Mormons  decided  to  move,  and  in  the  face  of 
incredible  hardships  set  forth  for  Caldwell.  Several  died 
on  the  way. 

But  nothing  contented  the  mobs  of  Missouri  but  com- 
plete routing  of  the  Mormons.  Driven  to  desperation,  a 
band  of  them  resisted  the  mob  at  Buncombe,  where 
several  on  both  sides  were  killed.  This,  of  course,  was 
magnified  by  the  mob  into  "  a  massacre  by  the  Mor- 
mons "  and  the  Governor  was  again  appealed  to,  and 
finally,  on  October  2"],  1838,  he  issued  the  order  which 
has  sent  his  name  down  to  posterity  as  that  of  a  cruel 
executive.  In  this  order  to  General  Clark,  he  claims  to 
have  been  credibly  informed  that  the  Mormons  are  "  in 
an  attitude  of  open  and  avowed  defiance  of  the  laws,  and 
(that  they  have)  made  open  war  upon  the  people  of  the 
state."     He  then  continues  : 

"  Your  orders  are,  therefore,  to  hasten  your  operations 
and  endeavor  to  reach  Richmond,  in  Ray  County,  with 
all  possible  speed.  The  Mormons  must  be  treated  as 
enemies  and  must  be  exterminated  or  driven  from  the 
state,  if  necessary,  for  the  public  good.  Their  outrages 
are  beyond  all  description." 

With  such  an  attitude  officially  expressed  against  them 
one  can  well  understand  how  the  mob  now  treated  the 
Mormons.  Self-defense,  of  course,  was  treason  to  the 
state,  to  be  ruthlessly  crushed,  hence,  when  about  twenty- 


Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mormonism    71 

eight  of  their  number  gathered  together  for  self-protec- 
tion at  Haun's  Mill,  a  mob  of  240  came  down  upon  them, 
and  without  warning,  fired  upon  them,  killing  or  mortally 
wounding  eighteen,  and  then  proceeded  to  rob  the  houses, 
wagons  and  tents  of  bedding  and  clothing,  drove  ofif 
horses  and  wagons,  and,  it  is  charged,  even  stripped  the 
bodies  of  the  slain. 

Now  a  mob  marched  on  Far  West,  where  the  Mormon 
militia  was  on  guard,  and  through  the  treachery  of  the 
commanding  colonel,  the  prophet,  together  with  several 
of  his  leading  men,  was  taken  into  custody.  They  were 
threatened  with  death,  the  orders  were  actually  given  to 
Brigadier-General  Doniphan  to  take  them  into  the  public 
square  at  Far  West  and  shoot  them.  To  this  wicked 
order  from  Samuel  D,  Lucas,  Major-General  Command- 
ing, Doniphan  returned  the  following  reply : 

"  It  is  a  cold-blooded  murder.  I  will  not  obey  your 
order.  My  brigade  shall  march  for  Liberty  tomorrow 
morning,  at  8  o'clock;  and  if  you  execute  these  men,  I 
will  hold  you  responsible  before  an  earthly  tribunal,  so 
help  me  God." 

Flagrantly  insubordinate  as  was  this  conduct  of  Gen- 
eral Doniphan's,  he  was  never  called  to  account  for  it, 
and  the  Mormons  have  ever  remembered  his  brave  and 
heroic  defense  of  their  prophet,  when  it  was  almost  as 
much  as  his  own  life  was  worth  to  dare  to  take 
such  a  stand. 

There  now  sprang  up  a  rivalry  among  certain  of  the 
militia  generals  for  possession  of  Joseph  and  the  other 
distinguished  prisoners,  and  undoubtedly  it  was  owing  to 
this  fact  that  they  were  ultimately  released,  although  they 
were  tried  before  a  hostile  judge,  held  for  further  trial 
and  confined  in  Liberty  jail.  The  Missouri  legislature 
meeting  about  this  time,  the  case  of  the  Mormons 
naturally  excited  much  attention  and  took  up  much  of 
its  time.     The  letters  or  petitions  written  to  the  legis- 


72 


Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 


lature  by  the  prophet  are  open,  manly,  upright  pleas  for 
nothing  but  fairness  and  justice.  In  the  meantime  the 
Mormons  in  the  different  counties  in  Missouri  began  to 
prepare  for  leaving  the  state,  in  accordance  with  the  gov- 
ernor's order.  The  year  1839  was  a  sad  one  for  them. 
Where  should  they  go?  Their  chief  shepherd  in  jail, 
and  kept  there,  contrary  to  law,  month  after  month,  they 
knew  not  what  to  do.  In  April,  the  prisoners  were 
removed  to  Gallatin,  Daviess  County.  The  following  day 
their  "  trial  "  began.  They  were  held  over,  but  a  few 
days  later  secured  a  change  of  venue  to  Boone  County. 
The  guard  that  was  charged  with  the  duty  of  taking  the 
prisoners  got  drunk,  and  thus  gave  them  an  opportunity 
to  escape,  which  they  did. 

At  almost  the  same  time  the  mob  was  destroying  the 
property  abandoned  by  the  saints  at  Far  West,  the  latter 
having  decided  to  remove  to  Ouincy,  Illinois,  where  on 
Monday,  April  22,  the  prophet  himself  arrived.  Imme- 
diately he  set  to  work  to  find  a  home  for  his  persecuted 
flock,  yet,  in  spite  of  this  absorbing  work,  he  found  time 
to  dictate  history,  hold  conferences  with  officials  and  indi- 
viduals, help  select  hymns  for  the  Mormon  hymn-book, 
administer  to  the  sick  and  do  the  thousand  and  one  things 
a  true  pastor  is  ever  ready  to  do  for  his  people.  Com- 
merce was  chosen  as  a  site,  though  it  was  supposed  to  be 
an  unhealthful  location.  This  was  soon  included  in  a 
larger  location  which  was  named  Nauvoo.  While  the 
saints  were  at  work  establishing  their  homes  here  the 
prophet,  together  with  Sidney  Rigdon,  Elias  Higbee  and 
Orrin  P.  Rockwell,  were  sent  as  a  delegation  to  Washing- 
ton to  seek  redress  for  the  wrongs  perpetrated  upon  the 
Mormons  in  Missouri.  It  may  be  as  well  to  state  here 
that,  in  spite  of  much  expressed  sympathy,  the  Federal 
government  from  President  Martin  Van  Buren  down, 
refused  to  act,  placing  the  whole  responsibility  upon  the 
State  of  Missouri.     It  can  well  be  understood  that  timid 


Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mormonism    73 

politicians,  seeking  votes  and  influence,  would  not  care 
to  antagonize  a  whole  state.  Hence  Joseph,  though 
sadly  disappointed,  soon  returned,  to  devote  his  attention 
to  the  building  up  of  Nauvoo.  '  Remembering  all  the 
experiences  of  the  past,  he  drew  up  a  charter,  which  all 
who  have  examined  it  pronounce  a  master-piece.  It  was 
passed  through  the  state  legislature  without  any  great 
influence,  yet  in  after  years  the  astutest  lawyers  of  the 
country  professed  to  believe  that  no  such  charter  could 
have  been  gained  save  by  undue,  or  remarkably  powerful, 
influence.  By  it  the  city  was  given  unusual  control  over 
its  own  affairs.  Rapidly  the  city  grew.  The  politicians 
were  anxious  to  conciliate  so  large  a  body  of  people,  and 
each  political  party  sought  to  win  the  support  of  the 
Mormons. 

In  the  meantime  the  twelve  apostles  in  England  were 
having  a  wonderfully  successful  time,  and  cheered  the 
hearts  of  the  saints  by  their  reports  of  large  numbers  of 
conversions  and  baptisms. 

Then,  June  4,  1841,  Joseph  was  arrested  on  a  demand 
from  Missouri,  but  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  was  obtained 
in  Quincy,  and  Judge  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  (afterwards 
the  noted  disputant  with  Lincoln)',  happening  to  come 
into  Quincy,  appointed  a  hearing  on  the  following  Tues- 
day, in  Monmouth,  Warren  County.  At  the  hearing, 
Joseph  was  liberated,  much  to  the  delight  of  the  saints. 
.<<"'Soon  after  this,  (September  ist),  Joseph  preached  a 
sermon  that,  in  the  light  of  present  day  thought,  can  be 
regarded  as  nothing  less  than  remarkable.     Said  he: 

"  I  preached  to  a  large  congregation  —  desiring  to  per- 
suade the  saints  to  trust  in  God  when  sick,  and  not  in  an 
arm  of  flesh,  and  live  by  faith  and  not  by  medicine,  or 
poison;  and  when  they  were  sick,  and  had  called  for  the 
Elders  to  pray  for  them,  and  they  were  not  healed,  to 
use  herbs  and  mild  food." 

A  legion  of  .miHtis  was  organized  at  Nauvoo,  of  which 


74         Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

Joseph  was  elected  Lieutenant-General,  This  was  a 
move  towards  self -protection,  in  view  of  the  inability 
shown  by  the  authorities  in  Missouri  to  control  the  mobs. 

The  next  few  months  were  full  of  excitement,  at  times, 
for  the  prophet,  for  in  them  the  wickedness  and  duplicity 
of  Dr.  John  C.  Bennett,  one  of  the  fiercest  of  those  who 
have  assailed  the  prophet  and  Mormonism,  was  revealed, 
and,  of  course,  it  was  necessary  to  disfellowship  him, 
though  he  had  held  the  confidence  of  the  Mormons  from 
the  prophet  down.  Then  two  attempts  were  made  to 
extradite  Joseph  to  Missouri,  one  on  a  charge  that  he  was 
accessory  to  an  attempted  murder  of  Governor  Boggs, 
the  other  by  the  resuscitation  of  an  old  charge  of  "  mur- 
der, treason,  burglary,  theft,  etc.,"  by  the  action  of  the 
traitor  and  exposed  scoundrel,  Bennett.  To  be  arrested, 
released  on  habeas  corpus,  and  again  arrested  and 
released,  with  all  the  attendant  excitement,  showed  how 
determined  the  enemies  of  Joseph  were  to  get  him  in 
their  power. 

It  was  during  these  troublous  times  that  Joseph 
prophesied,  (August  6,  1842),  that  the  saints  would  con- 
tinue to  suffer  much  affliction  and  would  be  driven  from 
their  homes.  Many  would  apostatize,  others  would  be 
put  to  death  by  persecutors  or  lose  their  lives  in  conse- 
quence of  exposure  or  disease,  and  some  would  live  to 
go  and  assist  in  making  settlements,  and  build  cities,  and 
see  the  saints  become  a  mighty  people  in  the  midst  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains. 

On  the  23rd  of  June  the  prophet  was  again  arrested 
by  a  sheriff  of  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  aided  by  a 
sheriff  belonging  to  Illinois.  Fortunately  passers-by 
heard  the  prophet's  call  for  help,  and  a  writ  of  habeas 
corpus  was  sued  out,  and  after  the  usual  legal  squabble, 
complicated  by  writs  for  the  arrest  of  the  two  sheriffs, 
Joseph  was  taken  to  Nauvoo  and  there  released.  The 
outcome  of  this  was  that  the  two  sheriffs  mc^de  applica- 


Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mormonism    75 

tion  for  a  posse,  to  retake  the  prophet,  but  Governor  Ford 
of  IlHnois  refused  the  request,  and  also  wrote  to  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Missouri  stating  why  he  had  done  so. 
'  Agitation  now  began  in  Carthage  and  other  places  in 
Illinois,  to  drive  out  the  Mormons,  as  had  been  done  in 
Missouri.  Many  reasons  for  this  can  be  given,  but  they 
have  all  been  referred  to.  Jealousy  may  have  had  a 
place,  and  fear  of  the  power  of  the  growing  city  of 
Nauvoo,  for  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  "  in  four  years 
it  rose  from  a  warehouse  or  two  and  a  few  half-tumbled- 
down  shacks  on  the  banks  of  the  river  to  the  dignity  of 
being  the  first  city  in  Illinois  in  population  and  commer- 
cial enterprise,  and  also  gave  promise  of  developing  into 
a  manufacturing  center  of  great  importance." 

With  a  vision  of  the  saints  engaged  in  every  kind  of 
constructive  work,  quickened,  doubtless,  by  the  presence 
of  accomplished  artisans  from  England,  Scotland,  the 
north  of  Ireland,  as  well  as  from  eastern  manufacturing 
centers,  the  prophet  saw  the  river  damned  to  give  power 
for  every  kind  of  factory,  and  buildings  arising  on  every 
hand,  and  had  he  lived,  and  the  persecutions  ceased,  there 
is  no  telling  what  might  have  developed. 

But  Fate  ordered  otherwise.  The  almost  illimitable 
powers  granted  by  the  legislature  in  the  Nauvoo  charter 
were  to  produce  greater  evils  than  they  were  designed  to 
prevent.  Much  of  the  city  legislation  based  upon  this 
charter  was  ill-advised  and  extravagant.  It  really  made 
the  city  an  independent  republic  within  the  republic,  and 
with  almost  as  much  power,  constitutionally,  as  the  state 
itself  possessed.  It  can  well  be  imagined  with  what  dis- 
favor and  ill-will  other  and  competing  cities  looked  upon 
Nauvoo.  Furthermore,  the  trickery  of  politicians,  seek- 
ing their  own  advancement,  led  to  false  steps  being  taken 
which  had  disastrous  results.  In  addition,  the  Church,  as 
never  before,  it  seemed,  was  cursed  with  dissensions  and 
apostasy.     It  cannot  be  regarded,  too,  as  anything  but 


76        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

unfortunate,  that  the  Mormons  held  the  balance  of  politi- 
cal power  in  Illinois.  Each  party  sought  their  aid,  but 
as  Governor  Ford  later  remarked,  "  they  were  willing 
and  anxious  for  the  Mormon  votes  at  elections,  but  they 
were  unwilling  to  risk  their  popularity  with  the  people, 
by  taking  part  in  their  favor,  even  when  law,  and  justice, 
and  the  constitution  were  all  on  their  side," 

Perhaps  the  most  jealous  of  all  the  cities  of  the  grow- 
ing power  of  Nauvoo  was  Carthage.  This  is  clearly 
shown  in  a  "  Preamble  and  Resolutions  "  passed  at  an 
anti-Mormon  meeting  held  there  September  6,  1843.  In 
this  paper  the  Mormons  are  spoken  of  as  being  either 
equally  reckless  and  unprincipled  as  the  prophet  himself, 
"  or  else  made  his  pliant  tools  by  the  most  absurd  cre- 
dulity that  has  astonished  the  w^orld  since  its  foundation." 

Hence,  when  certain  leaders  of  the  Church  apostatized 
and  started  the  publication  of  a  paper.  The  Expositor,  in 
Nauvoo,  which  was  unlimited  in  its  abuse  of  the  prophet 
and  his  followers,  and  the  City  Council  destroyed  the 
paper  and  its  printing-plant,  on  the  ground  that  it  was  a 
public  nuisance,  this  high-handed  and  very  unwise  pro- 
ceeding was  used  by  the  Carthage  people  as  another  proof 
of  the  lawlessness  of  the  prophet  and  his  followers.  The 
owners  of  The  Expositor  swore  out  warrants  for  the 
arrest  of  Joseph  and  the  City  Council.  He  applied  to 
the  Municipal  Court  for  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  which 
was  granted,  and  he  was  released.  This  fired  the  mob 
spirit  not  only  in  Carthage  but  in  Warsaw,  and  when  it 
was  known  that  mobs  were  coming  to  Nauvoo  to  seize 
the  prophet,  he,  as  Lieutenant-General  of  the  Nauvoo 
Legion,  and  Mayor,  placed  the  city  under  martial  law. 
The  excitement  became  so  intense  that  Brigham  Young 
and  all  the  apostles  were  called  from  their  eastern  mis- 
sions. Governor  Ford  also  came  to  Carthage  to  see  for 
himself  the  state  of  afifairs.  Joseph  invited  him  to  come 
to  Carthage  and  make  a  thorough  investigation,  but  for 


Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mormonism    77 

the  time  being  Ford  seemed  to  have  come  under  the 
influence  of  Joseph's  enemies.  When  it  was  known  the 
mob  was  coming,  the  prophet  declared  that  if  he  and  his 
brother  Hyrum  were  taken  they  would  be  massacred,  and 
his  friends  were  so  urgent  for  his  safety  that  he  and 
several  others  started  with  the  intention  of  fleeing  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  But  the  prophet's  wife  sent  a  mes- 
senger to  him  urging  him  to  come  back,  and  this  plea  was 
enlarged  by  others  who  declared  that  Governor  Ford  had 
pledged  him  protection.  To  these  pleas  Joseph  replied: 
"  If  my  life  is  of  no  value  to  my  friends  it  is  of  none  to 
myself,"  and  he  immediately  returned.  As  soon  as  he 
was  in  Nauvoo,  however,  he  learned  that  Governor  Ford 
had  rescinded  his  promise  of  a  guard  to  protect  him  and 
at  the  same  time  demanded  his  immediate  presence  in 
Carthage  for  trial.  On  June  25,  1844,  Joseph  and  his 
brother,  and  all  the  others  charged  with  riot  in  the 
destruction  of  The  Expositor,  gave  themselves  up  to  Con- 
stable Bettisworth.  Again  they  were  pledged  protection 
by  the  Governor.  Soon  after  they  were  in  the  constable's 
hands  Joseph  and  Hyrum  were  served  with  another  writ, 
charging  them  with  treason.  At  the  trial  on  the  riot 
charge  the  defendants  were  bound  over,  but  as  they  left 
the  court  Joseph  and  Hyrum  were  re-arrested  on  a  false 
mittimus.  The  Governor  was  appealed  to,  but  refused  to 
interfere,  and  therefore,  they  were  taken  to  jail.  A  num- 
ber of  their  friends  were  allowed  to  go  with  them.  The 
night  was  spent  together.  The  following  day  the  prophet 
had  an  interview  with  the  Governor  in  the  jail,  in  which 
the  former  urged  that  if  the  Governor  went  to  Nauvoo 
he  be  taken  along,  as  he  was  sure  his  life  was  in  jeopardy 
if  he  was  compelled  to  remain  in  Carthage. 

This  proved  to  be  only  too  true.  Two  days  later  the 
Governor  went,  with  some  troops,  to  Nauvoo,  for  what 
real  purpose  no  one  has  ever  found  out.  He  left  the 
Carthage    Grays     (composed    of    the    prophet's    sworn 


78        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

enemies)  ostensibly  to  protect  him.  About  five  in  the 
evening  a  quiet  mob  of  some  hundred  men  came  to  the 
jail,  fired  their  guns  to  intimidate  the  guards,  gained 
entrance  and  fired  upon  the  prisoners.  Hyrum  was  shot 
twice  and  fell  dead ;  bullets  poured  into  the  room,  Joseph 
responded  with  shots  from  his  revolver,  and  then,  as  he 
sprang  into  the  window,  two  bullets  entered  his  body 
from  behind,  and  one  entered  his  breast  from  outside. 
He  fell  outward,  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies,  exclaim- 
ing, "  O  Lord,  my  God !  "  Elder  John  Taylor,  who  was 
in  the  room,  was  wounded,  but  soon  recovered,  later  to 
become  President  of  the  Church,  and  Elder  Willard 
Richards,  also  present,  escaped  as  by  a  miracle. 

Thus  ended  the  remarkable  life  of  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  men  of  American  history. 

In  reading  over  the  prophet's  letters  and  his  diary  one 
cannot  but  feel  that  here  was  a  manly  man,  a  very  human 
man,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  powerfully  felt  the  divine 
commission  upon  him,  one  who  must  have  impressed 
those  about  him  with  his  love,  his  sympathy,  his  wisdom 
and  understanding.  On  one  occasion  when  the  twelve 
apostles  remonstrated  with  him  for  being  harsh  with 
them  in  one  of  his  letters,  and  in  believing  evil  of  them 
upon  insufficient  and  unreliable  testimony,  he  replied: 

"  I  have  sometimes  spoken  too  harshly  from  the 
impulse  of  the  moment,  and  inasmuch  as  I  have  wounded 
your  feelings,  brethren,  I  ask  your  forgiveness,  for  I  love 
you  and  will  hold  you  up  with  all  my  heart,  in  all  right- 
eousness before  the  Lord,  and  before  all  men.  .  .  . 
And  I  will  now  covenant  with  you  before  God,  that  I 
will  not  listen  to  or  credit  any  derogatory  report  against 
any  of  you,  nor  condemn  you  upon  any  testimony 
beneath  the  heavens,  short  of  that  testimony  which  is 
infallible,  until  I  can  see  you  face  to  face,  and  know  of  a 
surety ;  and  I  do  place  unremitted  confidence  in  your 
word,  for  I  believe  you  to  be  men  of  truth.     And  I  ask 


JOHN    TAYLOR,    THIRD    PRESIDENT    OF    THE    MORMON    CHURCH. 


Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mormonism    79 

the  same  of  you  when  I  tell  you  anything,  that  you  place 
equal  confidence  in  my  word,  for  I  will  not  tell  you  I 
know  anything  that  I  do  not  know." 

One  remarkable  fact  is  evident  in  all  of  the  prophet's 
dealings  with  the  members  of  the  Church  during  his  life- 
time. He  certainly  held  them  to  high  standards,  and 
when  they  were  guilty  of  conduct  unbecoming  their  pro- 
fessions a  council  was  called  and  they  were  unhesitat- 
ingly cut  off  from  fellowship.  A  score,  a  hundred,  of 
such  cases  could  be  cited,  where  men  of  influence,  of 
strong  personality,  of  money,  were  cast  out  because  of 
their  sins  and  their  impenitence.  This  was  called  "  deliv- 
ering them  over  to  the  buffetings  of  Satan,"  In  some 
cases  it  resulted  in  repentance,  and  in  others,  in  violent 
hostility  to  the  prophet  and  his  followers.  Many  of  the 
fierce  attacks  made  upon  the  church  were  the  endeavors 
to  "  get  even  "  of  those  who  had  been  thus  disciplined. 
There  can  be  no  question  but  it  was  this  that  ultimately 
led  to  Joseph's  death. 
^'  Yet,  he  being  dead  yet  speaketh.  The  work  he  began 
has  never  ceased.  The  helm  of  the  church  was  soon 
firmly  grasped  by  a  master-hand,  that  of  Brigham  Young, 
and  by  him  it  was  piloted,  through  equally  stormy  scenes, 
into  the  final  haven  of  rest  now  enjoyed  in  Utah, 
'''Who  can  explain  Joseph  Smith  ?  What  are  "  revela- 
tions from  God"?  What  is  their  test?  Is  it  not  beyond 
all  reason  that  a  lad,  born  of  poor  parents,  devoid  of  any 
save  the  commonest  education,  too  poor  to  buy  books, 
should  have  accomplished  what  he  did  in  less  than  forty 
years,  unless  there  were  some  great  reason  for  it? 

Let  any  one,  even  a  literary  genius,  after  forty  years  of 
life,  try  to  write  a  companion  volume  to  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  and  then  almost  daily  for  a  number  of  years 
give  out  "  revelations  "  by  the  score  that  internally  har- 
monize one  with  another,  at  the  same  time  formulate  a 
system  of  doctrine  for  a  new  church,  introduce  many  new 


80        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

principles,  resuscitate  extinct  priesthoods,  and  formulate 
a  system  of  church  government  which  has  no  superior 
on  earth. 

Would  he  succeed  in  making  the  system  coherent? 
Could  he  influence  scores  of  intelligent,  wise,  thoughtful, 
educated,  religiously  trained  men,  like  John  Taylor,  Dr. 
Richards,  and  scores  of  others,  besides  attracting  thou- 
sands to  the  fold  of  his  church,  as  did  Joseph  Smith? 
Even  if  one  were  assured  that  the  prophet  was  an  im- 
postor, that  does  not  lessen  the  marvel.  The  mystery, 
the  riddle,  the  problem,  is  even  greater  than  before.  Even 
if  he  be  explained  on  the  ground  that  he  was  a  mystic 
gifted  with  superior  psychic  powers,  the  riddle  still 
remains,  the  problem  is  still  unsolved. 

I  offer  no  explanation. 

That  given  by  the  Mormon  Church  is  the  full  accepta- 
tion of  Joseph's  own  claim  for  himself.  Upon  this 
acceptation  the  Church  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints  is  built. 
Without  it  the  State  of  Utah,  as  it  is  today,  with  its  won- 
derful history,  its  conflicts  between  saints  and  gentiles, 
its  final  peaceful  blending  into  one  reasonably  coherent 
population,  alike  proud  of  the  state  and  its  history  and 
achievements,  could  not  have  come  into  being. 

Whatever  one's  personal  opinion  of  Joseph  Smith  and 
his  revelations  may  be,  there  is  no  concealing  the  wonder- 
ment that  seizes  one  at  the  fact  that  this  so-called  ignorant 
youth,  this  self-educated  man,  martyred  at  thirty-nine 
years  of  age,  had  been  able  to  formulate  a  "  bible  "  of 
his  own ;  had  issued  his  Word  of  Wisdom;  had  received 
hundreds  of  "  revelations"  that  even  his  severest  critics 
and  bitterest  enemies  cannot  deny  have  a  remarkable 
coherence ;  had  attracted  a  number  of  well-educated,  level- 
headed, keenly  intelligent  business  men  as  well  as  minis- 
ters of  the  gospel,  who  yielded  to  his  autocratic  rule  with 
a  submissiveness  little  short  of  marvelous;  and  had  gath- 
ered from  all  parts  of  the  earth  proselytes,  who,  whatever 


Joseph  Smith  and  the  Origin  of  Mormonism    81 

other  qualities  they  failed  to  possess,  were  so  devoted  to 
their  prophet  and  leader  as  to  be  willing  to  follow  him  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth,  through  incredible  hardships,  and 
even  joyously  to  martyrdom.  To  deny  to  such  a  man  a 
wonderful  power  over  the  human  heart  and  intellect  is 
absurd.  Only  fanatical  prejudice  can  ignore  it.  However 
he  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  reasoning  mind,  Joseph 
Smith,  the  Mormon  Prophet,  was  one  of  the  wonders  of 
his  time.  That  he  is  not  an  enigma  to  his  followers  (as 
he  certainly  is  to  his  critics)  is  only  another  proof  of  his 
wonderfulness. 


CHAPTER  IV 

BRIGHAM   YOUNG,   RELIGIONIST  AND  STATESMAN 

Joseph  Smith  was  dead  —  murdered  in  Carthage  jail. 
His  flock  was  terrorized,  —  as  sheep  harried  by  wolves  on 
every  hand.  Whither  should  they  turn?  Whence  flee, 
they,  who,  hitherto,  had  relied  upon  their  prophet  for 
guidance?  Had  God  forever  deserted  them?  Were  all 
their  high  hopes  to  come  to  naught?  Were  they  to  be 
destroyed,  root  and  branch,  as  their  enemies  threatened, 
unless  they  would  leave  the  country  for  good  and  all  ?  To 
whom  should  they  turn  for  help,  consolation,  direction? 
Who  was  now  the  leader  of  the  church?  What  pro- 
vision—  if  any  —  had  Joseph  made  for  his  successor? 
His  enemies  were  assured  that  at  his  death,  the  Church  as 
an  organization,  would  go  to  pieces,  and  this,  doubtless, 
accounted  for  their  determination  to  slay  him. 

But  expectations  of  enemies  and  fears  of  timid  believers 
alike  were  all  wasted  mental  efforts.  It  may  well  be  ques- 
tioned whether  any  one  of  the  Mormon  leaders  of  the 
time,  even  the  prophet  himself,  realized  the  strength, 
power,  and  undeniable  mastership  of  one  of  their  number, 
honored  even  though  he  had  already  become  by  the 
marked  confidence  of  his  leader.  Unconsciously  they 
were  developing  one  of  the  most  remarkable  statesmen  of 
his  century. 

It  may  well  and  naturally  here  be  asked:  What  is  it 
makes  the  statesman ?     What  is  it  stamps  a  man  as  great? 

If  the  seizing  of  the  helm  of  a  young  church,  still  in 
the  process  of  being  founded  amongst  a  population  the 

82 


Brigham  Young,  Religionist  and  Statesman     83 

most  hostile,  and  at  the  same  time  threatened  with  apos- 
tasy and  false  leadership  from  within,  and  piloting  it  with 
firm,  strong  and  yet  kindly  hands  to  safety  and  strength ; 
if  the  keeping  together  of  a  dispossessed  and  persecuted 
people,  robbed  of  their  homes  and  possessions,  hunted  as 
though  they  were  wild  beasts,  and  so  encouraging  them  that 
they  never  lost  faith  in  God  or  their  newly-founded  church 
and  its  leaders;  if  the  ability  to  cheer  these  people  while 
they  waited,  for  weary  months,  in  winter  quarters,  for  the 
signal  to  start  on  one  of  the  most  fearful  overland  trips, 
and  then  leading  the  way  for  them  and  confidently  await- 
ing their  coming;  if  the  gathering  together  of  inchoate 
masses  of  humanity  from  half  the  countries  of  Europe,  as 
well  as  of  the  eastern  and  middle-west  states ;  the  conduct- 
ing and  guiding  them  out  into  the  heart  of  an  unknown 
and  trackless  desert,  inhabited  only  by  the  Indians,  and 
at  the  time,  belonging  to  a  neighboring  though  hostile 
country;  the  training  of  them  in  the  arts  of  agriculture, 
under  the  new  conditions  of  irrigation;  the  encouraging 
of  them  to  the  establishment  of  beet-sugar  factories,  cot- 
ton, woolen  and  flouring  mills,  the  planting  out  of  alfalfa 
fields,  of  orchards  of  every  kind  of  deciduous  fruits;  the 
leaving  his  impress  upon  the  educational  institutions  of 
the  state,  so  that  a  dozen  or  more  of  them  bear  his  name ; 
the  equal  dominating  of  the  legal  machinery  of  his  state; 
the  putting  his  shaping  hand  upon  the  ecclesiastical  archi- 
tecture of  his  city  and  causing  to  be  erected  two  of  the 
notable  structures  of  the  United  States;  the  encouraging 
of  the  drama  and  music  among  his  people  so  that  they 
built  their  own  theatres  and  conducted  their  own  perform- 
ances, trained  their  own  youths  and  maidens  in  song  until 
their  choirs  became  world-famed,  and  the  organ  of  their 
chief  tabernacle  was  recognized  —  though  home-con- 
structed —  as  one  of  the  most  massive  and  efi^ective  organs 
in  the  world  —  I  say,  if  the  doing  of  these  things  consti- 
tute statesmanship  and  show  greatness,  power,  genius  in 


84        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

a  man,  then  Brigham  Young,  regardless  of  all  that  has 
been,  or  may  be  said  against  him,  is  unquestionably  one 
of  the  great  statesmen  of  American  history. 

I  doubt  whether  any  other  man  of  equal  prominence 
has  had  so  much  virulent  hostility  poured  upon  his  head. 
Brigham  Young  has  been  denounced  as  impostor,  tyrant, 
false-prophet,  promulgator  of  the  hated  system  of  polyg- 
amy, responsible  for  the  Mountain  Meadow  Massacre  and 
the  death  of  many  "  apostates  "  and  open  enemies  of  the 
Mormon  faith,  bold  defier  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment and  its  duly  authorized  officials,  falsifier  of  his 
accounts,  relentless  in  crushing,  even  to  the  death,  all 
opposition  to  his  will,  an  untrue  friend,  a  consummate 
hypocrite,  and  a  master  in  all  the  arts  of  conscious  vil- 
lainy. That  he  was  a  perfect  man  not  even  his  best 
friends  will  contend,  but  the  more  one  studies  his  life, 
weighs  his  acts,  and  balances  his  professions  and  deeds, 
the  more  is  he  convinced  of  his  sincerity,  from  his  stand- 
point, in  his  leadership  of  the  Mormon  Church.  Indeed, 
his  whole  life  may  be  taken  as  an  exemplification  of  the 
following  declaration  made  by  him  at  a  conference,  held 
in  Boston,  Mass.,  in  1843: 

**  If  this  work — (that  of  the  Mormon  Church) — does 
not  Hve,  I  do  not  want  to  live;  for  it  is  my  life,  my  joy, 
my  all;  and  if  it  sinks,  God  knows  I  do  not  want  to 
swim." 

When  men  who  write  books  to  denounce  him  are  yet 
compelled  to  write  of  Brigham  Young  in  the  following 
strain,  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  he  was  a  man  of 
unusual  power.  In  1913,  Frank  J.  Cannon  and  George  L. 
Knapp,  with  Revell  as  publisher,  issued  their  Brigham 
Young  and  His  Mormon  Empire.  In  their  introduction 
they  say : 

"  In  the  middle  decades  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
there  arose  in  America  a  man  destined  to  a  career  more 
strange  and  incredible  than  most  romancers  have  dared  to 


BRIGHAM    YOUNG,    SECOND    PRESIDENT    OF    THE 
MORMON    CHURCH. 


Brigham  Young,  Religionist  and  Statesman     85 

imagine  for  their  heroes.  That  man  was  Brigham  Young. 

"  Bom  on  a  soil  saturated  with  New  England  Puritan- 
ism, he  became  a  follower  and  then  a  leader  of  the  Moham- 
medanism of  the  west.  Born  in  a  community  which 
held  that  Heaven  had  withdrawn  from  man,  and  which 
admitted  no  revelation  less  than  eighteen  centuries  old,  he 
was  accepted  by  half  a  million  people  as  the  mouth -piece 
and  representative  of  God.  Born  of  a  race  in  which 
monogamy  had  been  the  accustomed  form  of  marriage 
since  before  the  dawn  of  history,  he  is  famous  today  as 
having  been  husband  of  a  score  of  wives,  sire  of  a  half- 
hundred  offspring. 

"  Brigham  Young  was  not  one  of  those  children  of  for- 
tune who  move  with  the  current  of  the  age,  and  draw 
greatness  from  the  greatness  of  their  country.  Good  for- 
tune did  not  pass  him  by  altogether,  but  neither  did  she 
embarrass  him  with  favors.  Brigham  never  came  in  con- 
tact with  the  real  life  of  the  nation,  save  to  defy  it,  and 
flout  it,  and  do  his  best  to  change  it.  He  set  up  an  Asiatic 
despotism  on  American  soil.  He  maintained  a  Moham- 
medan marriage  system  in  a  Puritanical  land.  He  built  a 
theocracy  in  an  age  which  already  had  witnessed  the  birth 
of  Renan  and  Ingersoll.  He  took  a  broken  and  dispirited 
people,  led  them  across  a  thousand  miles  of  desert,  and 
with  them  founded  his  kingdom  in  the  fertile  valley  by  an 
inland  sea. 

"  The  man  who  could  achieve  these  things,  even  with 
some  aid  from  fortune,  was  a  man  of  no  common  calibre. 
Without  a  day  of  military  training,  he  became  a  very 
efficient  general-in-chief  to  his  people.  Without  an  hour's 
reading  of  law,  he  made  himself  judge  and  law-giver  — 
and  in  the  main  a  just  one  —  for  a  whole  community. 
Where  his  own  knowledge  was  deficient,  he  had  skill  to 
use  the  ability  of  others ;  and  to  this  day  the  finances,  the 
government,  the  merchandising,  the  architecture,  the  social 


86         Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

life,  and  even  the  agriculture  of  the  Mormon  community, 
bear  the  stamp  put  upon  them  by  Brigham  Young. 

"  He  matched  his  wits  against  the  might  of  the  United 
States  government  and  did  not  come  off  second  best.  He 
yielded  in  outward  seeming  to  federal  power ;  but  in  real- 
ity he  was  Emperor  of  his  little  realm  to  the  hour  of  his 
death,  and  his  subjects  never  doubted  his  supremacy.  He 
drove  federal  appointees  in  disgrace  from  his  kingdom, 
and  took  their  positions  for  himself  and  his  favorites.  No 
matter  how  overwhelming  the  power  with  which  he  was 
dealing,  Brigham  Young  never  was  a  suppliant.  He 
stormed,  bullied,  lied,  intrigued,  finessed,  cajoled;  he 
never  pleaded  for  mercy  nor  owned  himself  in  need  of 
mercy.  He  met  chastisement  with  fresh  provocation. 
Knowing  polygamy  to  be  the  most  offensive  of  his  sins  in 
the  eyes  of  the  nation,  he  lived  openly  with  a  score  of 
wives,  sent  his  most  honored  polygamous  apostle  to  Con- 
gress as  a  territorial  delegate,  and  permitted  his  subord- 
inate priests  to  debate  with  Christian  clergymen  on  the 
divinity  of  plural  marriage. 

"  He  has  became  a  central  figure  of  weird  and  distorted 
legends.  He  has  been  made  the  idol  of  a  worshipping 
people.  But  never  has  he  taken  his  place  in  calm,  impar- 
tial histor>'." 

Few  men  have  had  more  pages  written  about  them  and 
not  a  few  of  them  have  been  in  the  highest  degree,  slan- 
derous and  abusive.  I  shall  neither  malign  nor  defend 
him.  I  wish  simply  to  present  his  work  as  I  see  it,  accept- 
ing his  own  professions  at  their  face  value  and  as  carried 
out  in  his  life. 

It  should  never  be  forgotten  that  Brigham  Young  never 
claimed  to  be  the  originator  of  Mormonism,  and  so  far  as 
I  can  learn,  only  once  did  he  claim  Divine  inspiration  as  a 
prophet.  His  "  revelation  "  was  given  at  the  time  of  the 
exodus  from  Illinois,  and  is  well  worth  quoting  in  full : 

"  The   Word   and  Will   of  the   Lord,   given  through 


Brigham  Young,  Religionist  and  Statesman     87 

President  Brigham  Young,  at  the  Winter  Quarters  of  the 
Camp  of  Israel,  Omaha  Nation,  West  Bank  of  Missouri 
River  near  Council  Bluffs,  January  14th,  1847. 

"  I.  The  word  and  will  of  the  Lord  concerning  the 
Camp  of  Israel  in  their  journeyings  to  the  West. 

"  2.  Let  all  the  people  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints,  and  those  who  journey  with  them, 
be  organized  into  companies,  with  a  covenant  and  promise 
to  keep  all  the  commandments  and  statutes  of  the  Lord 
our  God. 

"  3.  Let  the  companies  be  organized  with  captains  of 
hundreds,  captains  of  fifties,  and  captains  of  tens,  with  a 
president  and  his  two  counselors  at  their  head,  under  the 
direction  of  the  Twelve  Apostles. 

"  4.  And  this  shall  be  our  covenant,  that  we  will  walk 
in  all  the  ordinances  of  the  Lord. 

"  5.  Let  each  company  provide  themselves  with  all 
the  teams,  wagons,  provisions,  clothing,  and  other  neces- 
saries for  the  journey  that  they  can. 

"  6.  When  the  companies  are  organized,  let  them  go 
to  with  their  might,  to  prepare  for  those  who  are  to  tarry. 

"  7.  Let  each  company  with  their  captains  and  presi- 
dents decide  how  many  can  go  next  spring;  then  choose 
out  a  sufficient  number  of  able-bodied  and  expert  men,  to 
take  teams,  seeds,  and  farming  utensils,  to  go  as  pioneers 
to  prepare  for  putting  in  spring  crops. 

"  8.  Let  each  company  bear  an  equal  proportion, 
according  to  the  dividend  of  their  property,  in  taking  the 
poor,  the  widows,  the  fatherless,  and  the  families  of  those 
who  have  gone  into  the  army,  that  the  cries  of  the  widow 
and  the  fatherless  come  not  up  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord 
against  this  people. 

"  9.  Let  each  company  prepare  houses,  and  fields  for 
raising  grain,  for  those  who  are  to  remain  behind  this  sea- 
son, and  this  is  the  will  of  the  Lord  concerning  his  people. 
10.     Let  every  man  use  all  his  influence  and  property 


<( 


88        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

to  remove  this  people  to  the  place  where  the  Lord  shall 
locate  a  Stake  of  Zion. 

"  1 1.  And  if  ye  do  this  with  a  pure  heart,  in  all  faith- 
fulness, ye  shall  be  blessed;  you  shall  be  blessed  in  your 
flocks,  and  in  your  herds,  and  in  your  fields,  and  in  your 
houses,  and  in  your  families. 

"  12.  Let  my  servants  Ezra  T.  Benson  and  Erastus 
Snow  organize  a  company. 

"  13.  And  let  my  servants  Orson  Pratt  and  Wilford 
Woodruff  organize  a  company. 

"  14.  Also,  let  my  servants  Amasa  Lyman  and  George 
A.  Smith  organize  a  company. 

"  15.  And  appoint  presidents,  and  captains  of  hun- 
dreds, and  of  fifties,  and  of  tens. 

"  16.  And  let  my  servants  that  have  been  appointed 
go  and  teach  this  my  will  to  the  saints,  that  they  may  be 
ready  to  go  to  a  land  of  peace. 

"  17.  Go  thy  way  and  do  as  I  have  told  you,  and  fear 
not  thine  enemies ;  for  they  shall  not  have  power  to  stop 
my  work. 

"  18.     Zion  shall  be  redeemed  in  mine  own  due  time. 

"  19.  And  if  any  man  shall  seek  to  build  up  himself, 
and  seeketh  not  my  counsel,  he  shall  have  no  power,  and 
his  folly  shall  be  made  manifest. 

"  20.  Seek  ye  and  keep  ye  all  your  pledges  one  with 
another,  and  covet  not  that  which  is  thy  brother's. 

"21.  Keep  yourselves  from  evil  to  take  the  name  of 
the  Lord  in  vain,  for  I  am  the  Lord  your  God,  even  the 
God  of  your  fathers,  the  God  of  Abraham  and  of  Isaac, 
and  of  Jacob. 

"  22.  I  am  He  who  led  the  children  of  Israel  out  of  the 
land  of  Egypt,  and  my  arm  is  stretched  out  in  the  last 
days  to  save  my  people  Israel. 

"  23.  Cease  to  contend  one  with  another,  cease  to 
speak  evil  one  of  another. 


Brigham  Young,  Religionist  and  Statesman    89 


(( 


24.  Cease  drunkenness,  and  let  your  words  tend  to 
edifying  one  another. 

"25.  If  thou  borrowest  of  thy  neighbor,  thou  shalt 
return  that  which  thou  hast  borrowed;  and  if  thou  canst 
not  repay,  then  go  straightway  and  tell  thy  neighbor,  lest 
he  condemn  thee. 

"26.  If  thou  shalt  find  that  which  thy  neighbor  has 
lost,  thou  shall  make  diligent  search  till  thou  shalt  deliver 
it  to  him  again. 

"  2^.  Thou  shalt  be  diligent  in  preserving  what  thou 
hast,  that  thou  mayest  be  a  wise  steward ;  for  it  is  the  free 
gift  of  the  Lord  thy  God  and  thou  art  his  steward. 

"  28.  If  thou  art  merry,  praise  the  Lord  with  singing, 
with  music,  with  dancing,  and  with  a  prayer  of  praise  and 
thanksgiving, 

"  29.  If  thou  art  sorrowful,  call  on  the  Lord  thy  God 
with  supplication  that  your  souls  may  be  joyful. 

"  30.  Fear  not  thine  enemies,  for  they  are  in  mine 
hands,  and  I  will  do  my  pleasure  with  them. 

"31.  My  people  must  be  tried  in  all  things,  that  they 
may  be  prepared  to  receive  the  glory  that  I  have  for  them, 
even  the  glory  of  Zion,  and  he  that  will  not  bear  chastise- 
ment is  not  worthy  of  my  kingdom. 

"  32,  Let  him  that  is  ignorant  learn  wisdom  by  humb- 
ling himself  and  calling  upon  the  Lord  his  God,  that  his 
eyes  may  be  opened  that  he  may  see,  and  his  ears  opened 
that  he  may  hear, 

"33.  For  my  Spirit  is  sent  forth  into  the  world  to 
enlighten  the  humble  and  contrite,  and  to  the  condemna- 
tion of  the  ungodly. 

"  34,  Thy  brethren  have  rejected  you  and  your  testi- 
mony, even  the  nation  that  has  driven  you  out ; 

"  35.  And  now  cometh  the  day  of  their  calamity,  even 
the  days  of  sorrow,  like  a  woman  that  is  taken  in  travail ; 
and  their  sorrows  shall  be  great,  unless  they  speedily 
repent;  yea,  very  speedily. 


no        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 


it 


36.  For  they  killed  the  prophets,  and  them  that  were 
sent  unto  them,  and  they  have  shed  innocent  blood,  which 
crieth  from  the  ground  against  them. 

"  37.  Therefore  marvel  not  at  these  things,  for  ye  are 
not  pure,  ye  cannot  yet  bear  my  glory ;  but  ye  shall  behold 
it  if  ye  are  faithful  in  keeping  all  my  words  that  I  have 
given  you  from  the  days  of  Adam  to  Abraham;  from 
Abraham  to  Moses ;  from  Moses  to  Jesus  and  his  apostles; 
and  from  Jesus  and  his  apostles  to  Joseph  Smith,  whom  I 
did  call  upon  by  mine  angels  my  ministering  servants ;  and 
by  mine  own  voice  out  of  the  heavens  to  bring  forth 
my  work, 

"  38.  Which  foundation  he  did  lay,  and  was  faithful 
and  I  took  him  to  myself. 

"  39.  Many  have  marveled  because  of  his  death,  but 
it  was  needful  that  he  should  seal  his  testimony  with  his 
blood,  that  he  might  be  honored,  and  the  wicked  might  be 
condemned. 

"  40.  Have  I  not  delivered  you  from  your  enemies, 
only  in  that  I  have  left  a  witness  of  my  name? 

"41.  Now,  therefore,  hearken,  O  ye  people  of  my 
church;  and  ye  elders  listen  together,  you  have  received 
my  kingdom. 

"  42.  Be  diligent  in  keeping  all  my  commandments, 
lest  judgment  come  upon  you,  and  your  faith  fail  you,  and 
your  enemies  triumph  over  you.  So  no  more  at  present. 
Amen,  and  Amen." 

Though  Brigham  did  not  publish  more  "  revelations," 
he  fully  believed  that  Joseph  Smith  was  divinely  inspired, 
that  the  Book  of  Mormon  was  a  new  revelation  of  God's 
truth  to  his  people,  and  that  God  as  distinctly  spoke  to  His 
children  in  this  latter-day  through  Joseph  Smith  as  in  the 
past  He  had  done  through  Moses,  Elijah  and  the  other 
prophets. 

As  one  studies  his  life,  viewed  from  every  angle,  there 
is  not  a  single  act  that  can  be  construed  in  any  other  way 


Brigham  Young,  Religionist  and  Statesman     91 

than  in  the  Hght  of  these  beliefs.  Having  accepted  Joseph 
Smith  as  the  prophet  of  the  Hving  God  he  became  his 
devout  follower.  In  all  the  persecutions,  through  ill  as 
well  as  good  report,  when  homes  and  families  were  im- 
periled, when  life  itself  was  at  stake,  he  never  faltered, 
never  wavered,  never  moved  with  an  uncertain  step.  In 
loyalty  and  devotion,  in  steadfast  adherence  and  willing 
obedience  to  his  leader,  history  finds  no  superior  in  the 
devotion  Brigham  Young  showed  to  Joseph  Smith. 

He  was  born  at  Whitingham,  Windham  County,  Ver- 
mont, June  I,  1801.  His  parents  were  poor,  and  he  was 
the  ninth  child  in  a  family  of  eleven,  hence  his  young  days 
saw  nothing  but  hard  work  and  poverty.  Yet  there  was 
good  blood  in  his  veins,  and  he  developed  a  stout  body  and 
a  healthy  mind,  growing  up  to  know  the  gospel  of  hard 
work.  He  became  carpenter,  painter,  glazier.  When  he 
was  three  years  old  his  parents  moved  into  New  York 
State  and  there,  after  several  "  movings,"  he  finally  came 
in  contact  with  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  the  teachings  of 
Joseph  Smith.  When  he  was  twenty-one  he  had  married, 
and  his  wife  bore  him  two  children.  She  followed  him 
into  Mormonism,  but  died  in  1832.  As  Brigham  studied 
the  Book  of  Mormon  and  the  teachings  of  the  new  prophet 
he  became  convinced  of  Joseph  Smith's  sincerity,  power, 
and  divine  commission,  and  on  April  14,  1832,  with  his 
devoted  friend  and  follower,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  was  bap- 
tized into  the  Mormon  Church  by  Eleazer  Miller,  at  Men- 
don,  New  York.  From  this  moment  the  fate  of  Mormon- 
ism was  changed,  though  the  Mormons  would  all  contend 
that  it  was  all  arranged  according  to  God's  will. 

Ere  long  Brigham  went  to  Kirtland,  Ohio,  to  meet  the 
prophet.  Arrived  there,  the  new  convert  must  have  been 
wonderfully  moved,  for  he  "  spake  in  tongues,"  which 
Joseph  interpreted  to  be  of  the  pure  Adamic  language. 
At  that  moment  Joseph  found  his  most  sterling,  loyal, 
accomplished  and  worthy  follower.    Joseph  was  to  receive 


92         Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

the  "  revelations,"  Brigham  to  carry  them  out,  for  he 
was  essentially  a  worker.  As  the  writers  before  quoted 
have  said: 

"  It  was  Brigham  Young  who  brought  care  and  method 
to  the  grandiose  projects  of  the  church  leaders.  It  was 
Brigham  who  knew  how  to  move  by  practical  ways  to 
a  desired  result.  Smith  had  revelations  that  a  temple 
should  be  built.  Brigham  went  to  work  to  build  one.  It 
is  thus  that  the  history  of  Mormonism  came  to  be  the 
biography  of  Brigham  Young.  Less  brilliant  and  far  less 
learned  than  many  of  the  devotees  of  the  new  faith,  he 
excelled  them  all  in  his  capacity  for  ordered,  practical 
work.  Without  Smith  Mormonism  could  not  have  been 
founded.  But  without  Brigham  Young  the  work  of  all 
his  predecessors  and  colleagues  would  have  been  scattered 
and  brought  to  naught." 

Thus  write  the  scoffers.  But  the  Mormons  calmly 
contend  that  Brigham  was  as  much  an  inspiration  of  God 
in  his  way  as  Joseph  was  in  his. 

As  days  went  by  Brigham  proved  his  loyalty,  devo- 
tion and  trustworthiness.  He  was  sent  on  a  mission  to 
Canada.  Nothing  since  the  time  Christ  sent  out  His 
Twelve  was  more  remarkable  than  the  way  the  prophet 
sent  out  his  followers.  What  was  the  power  that  enabled 
Smith  so  to  control  these  hard-headed  men,  and  send  them 
out,  without  purse  or  scrip,  on  an  arduous,  thankless,  and 
apparently  hopeless  task?  But  Brigham  and  his  co-work- 
ers went,  and  succeeded.  Their  home-coming  was  a 
triumph,  and  among  men  of  power  Brigham  had  demon- 
strated he  was  worthy  a  high  place. 

Next  came  the  test  of  bravery  and  courage  in  the  face 
of  mob  persecution.  The  faithful  in  Missouri  were  being 
mobbed.  Who  would  go  up  to  their  help  ?  "  Zion's 
Camp  "  was  organized,  and  while  it  accomplished  nothing 
of  what  it  went  to  do,  it  "  tried  men's  souls,"  it  was  the 
furnace  that  tested  the  worth  of  men's  professions.    Brig- 


Brigham  Young,  Religionist  and  Statesman     93 

ham  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  this  movement  and  won  the 
added  approval  of  the  prophet  and  his  followers. 

Out  of  the  men  thus  tried  Joseph  now  selected  the 
twelve  apostles,  and  Brigham  was  third  in  the  order 
chosen.  He  and  they  were  again  sent  on  missions,  and 
the  new  faith  spread  with  remarkable  rapidity. 

Soon  came  the  imprisonment  of  Joseph.  This  lasted 
for  over  six  months,  and  as  the  president  of  the  twelve 
apostles,  the  government  of  the  church  fell  upon  Brig- 
ham's  shoulders.  On  Joseph's  release  ther?  was  no  fault 
found  with  the  temporary  head's  administration,  and  new 
responsibilities  and  work  were  thrust  upon  him,  though  he 
was  content  to  work  as  a  skilled  laborer,  whenever  oppor- 
tunity arose,  at  the  completion  of  the  temple  at  Kirtland. 

In  1840,  he  was  sent  with  others  on  a  mission  to  Eng- 
land, and  there  proved  his  powers  as  an  organizer.  He 
was  tireless  in  industry,  established  a  publishing  house  for 
the  wider  dissemination  of  Mormon  principles  and  teach- 
ings, and  was  one  of  a  committee  to  select  and  publish  a 
hymnbook,  started  the  Millenial  Star,  a  Mormon  weekly 
paper,  and  was  one  of  its  editors.  In  addition,  his  essen- 
tially practical  mind  saw  that  some  means  must  be  adopted 
to  enable  the  poorer  of  their  converts  to  get  to  Zion,  for 
one  of  the  chief  preachings  of  Mormonism  at  that  time 
was  that  the  saints  must  "  gather  together."  This  led  to 
the  organization  of  the  Perpetual  Emigration  Fund  of  the 
Church,  which  later  grew  into  a  tremendous  power  for 
the  upbuilding  of  the  church. 

Brigham's  report  of  this  great  missionary  trip  shows 
the  character  of  his  mind.     Here  is  a  part  of  it : 

"  We  landed  as  strangers  in  a  strange  land,  and  penni- 
less, but  through  the  mercy  of  God  we  have  gained  many 
friends,  established  churches  in  almost  every  noted  city 
and  town  in  Great  Britain,  baptized  within  7,000  and 
8,000  souls,  printed  5,000  Books  of  Mormon,  3,000 
hymn  books,  2,500  volumes  of  the  Millennial  Star  and 


04        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

50,000  tracts,  emigrated  to  Zion  1,000  souls,  establishing 
a  permanent  shipping  agency,  which  will  be  a  great  bless- 
ing to  the  saints,  and  have  left  sown  in  the  hearts  of  many 
thousands  the  seeds  of  eternal  truth  which  shall  bring 
forth  fruit  to  the  honour  and  glory  of  God;  and  yet  we 
have  lacked  nothing  to  eat,  drink  or  wear;  in  all  these 
things  I  acknowledge  the  hand  of  God." 

On  the  20th  of  April,  1841,  he  and  five  of  his  com- 
panions and  a  company  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  con- 
verts set  sail  for  New  York.  They  arrived  at  the  rapidly 
growing  Alormon  center  of  Nauvoo  on  the  first  day  of 
July.  Soon  after  their  arrival  Joseph  Smith  received  a 
revelation  which,  after  commending  Brigham  for  his 
faithfulness,  informed  him  that  he  no  more  would  be 
required  to  leave  his  family  or  go  forth  on  missionary 
labors. 

During  the  short  interregnum  of  peace  enjoyed  by  the 
Mormons  in  Nauvoo  Brigham  labored  faithfully  with  the 
prophet  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  city  and  the  church.  An 
exceedingly  liberal  charter  was  granted  by  the  legislature, 
the  foundation  of  the  new  temple  laid,  the  University 
started,  and  the  "  Nauvoo  Legion  of  the  City  of  Nauvoo  " 
organized.  But  the  gathering  together  of  the  Mormon 
converts  from  all  over  the  country,  and  from  Europe,  was 
construed  by  the  politicians  and  those  who  were  jealous 
of  Mormon  power,  into  a  desire  of  the  prophet  and  his 
followers  to  rule  in  politics.  The  anti-Mormon  party  was 
formed,  and  as  has  been  shown  in  the  chapter  on  Joseph 
Smith,  this  was  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  Mormon 
dominancy. 

In  all  the  trouble  that  ensued  Brigham  never  once  fal- 
tered, never  once  failed  his  leader.  Joseph  learned  more 
and  more  to  rely  upon  his  friend  and,  with  a  seeming  pre- 
monition of  his  own  end,  asserted  that  his  people  would 
yet  suffer  much  affliction,  would  ultimately  be  driven  out 
and  compelled  to  seek  a  home  in  or  beyond  the  Rocky 


Brigham  Young,  Religionist  and  Statesman     o,^ 

Mountains.  Before  this  he  had  revealed  a  vision  he  had 
had,  as  follows: 

"  I  saw  Elder  Brigham  Young  standing  in  a  strange 
land,  in  the  far  south  and  west,  in  a  desert  place,  upon  a 
rock  in  the  midst  of  about  a  dozen  men  of  color,  who 
appeared  hostile.  He  was  preaching  to  them  in  their  own 
tongue,  and  the  angel  of  God  standing  above  his  head, 
with  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand,  protecting  him,  but  he 
did  not  see  it." 

When  the  culminating  disaster  fell  upon  the  saints  in 
the  murder  of  their  prophet  and  his  brother,  the  innate 
power  of  leadership  possessed  by  Brigham  Young  at  once 
asserted  itself.  At  the  time,  he  was  away  on  a  mission,  in 
New  Hampshire,  but  speedily  returned  on  learning  the 
sad  news.  Before  his  arrival  he  doubtless  had  formulated 
the  ideas  which  led  to  his  being  placed  in  the  position  of 
power.  For,  ere  he  arrived,  Sidney  Rigdon  had  hurriedly 
returned  from  Pennsylvania  with  the  avowed  object  of 
being  appointed  the  **  guardian  "  of  the  church,  Sidney 
was  one  of  Joseph's  counselors,  and,  therefore,  one  of  the 
First  Presidency  of  the  church.  Hence,  he  assumed  that, 
naturally,  Joseph's  mantle  would  fall  on  him.  Instead  of 
waiting  for  the  arrival  of  the  twelve  apostles  to  decide 
the  matter,  Rigdon  sought  to  urge  his  claims  upon  the 
people.  Brigham,  however,  had  decided  upon  his  course. 
He  was  convinced  that,  by  the  law  of  the  church,  its  gov- 
ernment had  now  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  twelve 
apostles.  Through  the  apostasy  of  his  seniors  in  the 
quorum  he  became  the  first  instead  of  the  third  of  the 
apostles,  and  was  made  the  presiding  officer  of  the  twelve 
who  should  decide  in  the  contest  that  followed.  The 
action  was  short  and  sharp.  Bancroft  thus  writes  of  it  in 
his  History  of  Utah,  p.  200 : 

"  The  truth  is,  Sidney  was  no  match  for  Brigham.  It 
was  a  battle  of  the  lion  and  the  lamb ;  only  Brigham  did 
not  know  before  that  he  was  a  lion,  while  Sidney  received 


96        Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

the  truth  with  reluctance  that  he  was  indeed  a  lamb.  Some- 
thing more  than  oratory  was  necessary  to  win  in  this  in- 
stance; and  of  that  something  with  great  joy  in  his  heart 
Brigham  found  himself  in  possession.  It  was  the  com- 
bination of  qualities  which  we  find  present  primarily  in 
all  great  men,  in  all  leaders  of  men,  intellectual  force, 
mental  superiority,  united  with  personal  magnetism  and 
physique  enough  to  give  weight  to  will  and  opinion ;  for 
Brigham  Young  was  assuredly  a  great  man,  if  by  great- 
ness we  mean  one  who  is  superior  to  others  in  strength 
and  skill,  moral,  intellectual,  or  physical.  The  secret  of 
this  man's  power,  a  power  that  within  a  few  years  made 
itself  felt  throughout  the  world,  was  this:  he  was  a  sin- 
cere man,  or  if  an  impostor,  he  was  one  who  first  imposed 
upon  himself.  He  was  not  a  hypocrite;  knave,  in  the 
ordinary  sense  of  the  term  he  was  not ;  though  he  has  been 
a  thousand  times  called  both.  If  he  was  a  bad  man,  he 
was  still  a  great  man,  and  the  evil  that  he  did  was  done 
with  an  honest  purpose.  He  possessed  great  administra- 
tive ability;  he  was  far-seeing,  with  a  keen  insight  into 
human  nature,  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  good  and 
evil  qualities  of  men,  of  their  virtues  and  frailities.  His 
superiority  was  native  to  him,  and  he  was  daily  and  hourly 
growing  more  powerful,  developing  a  strength  which  sur- 
prised himself,  and  gaining  constantly  more  and  more  con- 
fidence in  himself,  gaining  constantly  more  and  more  the 
respect,  fear,  and  obedience  of  those  about  him,  until  he 
was  able  to  consign  Sidney  to  the  buffetings  of  Satan  for 
a  thousand  years,  while  Brigham  remained  president  and 
supreme  ruler  of  the  church." 

The  conflict  was  speedily  over.  Brigham  called  upon 
"Rigdon  to  state  his  claims  before  a  council  of  the  priest- 
hood, and  later,  before  a  public  meeting  of  all  the  saints. 
After  the  latter  had  eloquently  presented  his  case  for  an 
hour  and  a  half  Brigham  arose,  and,  in  a  few  sentences, 
completely  demolished  Rigdon's  claims.     From  that  time 


Brigham  Young,  Religionist  and  Statesman    97 

on  until  the  day  of  his  death,  no  one  questioned  Brig- 
ham  Young's  leadership  or  denied  his  power. 

Then  came  the  exodus !  And  what  a  time  that  was  to 
try  men's  souls.  To  keep  the  people  together  after  they 
were  driven  across  the  Mississippi;  to  hearten  them  for 
their  arduous  pilgrimage;  to  gather  the  needful  horses, 
oxen,  wagons,  supplies,  clothing,  provisions;  to  care  for 
the  destitute  and  sick,  the  unprotected,  young,  and  incom- 
petent aged.  The  first  night  out,  spent  on  Sugar  Creek, 
Iowa,  "  nine  wives  became  mothers.  Nine  children  were 
born  in  tents  and  wagons  in  that  wintry  camp.  How  these 
tender  babes,  these  sick  and  delicate  women  were  cared  for 
under  such  conditions,  is  left  to  the  imagination  of  the 
sensitive  reader,"  says  Whitney. 

In  due  time  the  march  began,  Brigham  ever  in  the  lead, 
seeking  out  the  best  road,  determining  the  best  place  for 
the  night  camp,  ever  watchful,  ever  exhorting,  ever  pro- 
tecting even  the  beasts  of  the  caravan  from  carelessness 
or  ignorance. 

The  story  is  well  known  of  the  wearisome  journey  and 
their  final  arrival  on  the  shores  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake. 


CHAPTER  V 

OUT  OF  GREAT  TRIBULATION 

In  the  chapter  on  the  prophet,  Joseph  Smith,  it  will  be 
seen  that  Mormonism  was  not  cradled  in  security  and 
rocked  in  sweet  repose.  From  the  time  he  declared  his 
vision  until  his  dastardly  murder  at  the  early  age  of  thirty- 
eight  years,  the  prophet's  life  was  one  long  succession  of 
irritating,  fierce,  bitter  persecutions,  in  which  his  follow- 
ers pretty  generally  shared. 

There  was  no  change  in  the  spirit  at  his  death,  and 
though  his  enemies  could  no  longer  justify  their  hostility 
to  the  Church  by  claiming  their  hatred  to  the  imposture 
of  his  leadership,  they  did  not  cease  their  persecutions. 
For  several  days  after  the  murder  excitement  reigned 
supreme.  The  people  of  Nauvoo  were  afraid  the  mob 
would  come  and  exterminate  them,  and  the  people  of  Car- 
thage and  Warsaw  were  afraid  the  Mormons  would  begin 
a  war  of  retaliation.  But  these  persecuted  people  were 
too  stunned  to  do  any  other  than  weep  over  the  grave  of 
their  prophet.  Their  leaders  counseled  wisely  —  they 
pleaded  for,  they  demanded  peace. 

To  the  struggle  of  Sidney  Rigdon  to  gain  control  of 
the  church,  the  painful  disturbances  which  followed,  it  is 
not  necessary  to  make  reference  now,  save  that  it  only 
added  to  the  great  burden  the  Church  was  carrying.  As 
soon,  however,  as  matters  of  presidency  were  settled  the 
saints  set  to  work  with  renewed  energy  to  complete  their 
temple,  and  build  up  their  city.  Though  the  leaders  had 
counseled  peace  there  were  some  ardent  and  passionate 

98 


Out  of  Great  Tribulation  99 

spirits  among  them,  naturally,  who  could  not  submit  to 
injustice  or  abuse  because  they  were  Mormons  and  they 
helped  keep  alive  the  flames  of  a  steady,  though  partially 
"  banked  "  persecution.  Among  the  most  pernicious  of 
those  actively  urging  on  the  mob  spirit  against  the  Mor- 
mons were  those  who  had  once  been  members  of  the 
church,  but  who,  for  some  reason,  had  been  cast  out. 

From  January  to  October,  1845,  the  Mormons  lived  in 
constant  turmoil.  Troubles  were  never  ceasing.  Then  a 
"  fire  and  sword  "  party  started  to  burn  the  ripened  crops 
of  the  Mormons  and  their  homes.  For  a  week  the  sheriff 
was  helpless  and  nearly  two  hundred  buildings  and  much 
grain  were  destroyed.  Many  aged,  young  and  sickly  per- 
sons were  rendered  homeless,  and  startled,  terrified,  by  the 
actions  of  the  mob,  exposed  to  night  conditions,  became 
sick,  and  died.  The  Mormons  claim  that  while  they  were 
fleeing  and  dying,  the  mob,  embracing  doctors,  lawyers, 
statesmen,  professed  Christians  of  various  denominations, 
with  the  military  from  the  colonels  down,  were  busily 
engaged  in  filching  or  plundering,  taking  furniture,  cattle 
and  grain  from  their  deserted  homes  and  farms.  Each 
probably  justified  his  conduct  in  his  own  way,  as  all  human 
beings  usually  do.  Then  the  old  Missouri  cry  was  taken 
up  with  renewed  energy  and  vigor :  "  Drive  out  the  Mor- 
mons." It  should  not  be  overlooked  that  early  in  the  year 
the  legislature  revoked  the  charter  of  the  City  of  Nauvoo 
and  also  that  of  the  Legion.  On  the  22nd  of  September  a 
meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Quincy,  Illinois,  took  place.  Its 
purpose  was  a  revival  of  the  old  methods  of  Missouri  —  a 
demand  for  the  entire  removal  of  the  Mormons  from 
Illinois.  A  committee  was  appointed  and  met  with  one 
from  the  Mormons.  The  latter  finally  agreed  to  leave 
under  conditions  that,  as  one  reads  them  now,  can  only  be 
considered  as  most  fair  and  equitable.  On  the  first  and 
second  of  October  a  meeting  was  held  at  Carthage  (where 
the  murder  of  the  prophet  had  occurred).     Nine  of  the 


100       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

immediately  neighboring  counties  were  represented.  The 
usual  tirades  against  the  Mormons  were  repeated,  and  the 
judge  of  the  circuit  court  was  requested  not  to  hold  court 
that  fall,  as  it  was  certain  disturbances  would  arise. 

Certainly,  the  Mormons  were  determined  to  seek  jus- 
tice for  the  injuries  done  to  them  and  their  prophet  and 
this  was  their  enemies'  method  of  seeking  to  prevent  that 
justice  from  being  done. 

But  the  Mormons  also  desired  to  leave.  They  knew  the 
temper  of  mobs  by  this  time  and  longed  to  get  to  where 
they  could  worship  and  live  in  their  own  way  unmolested, 
and  they  began  to  prepare  for  a  speedy  exodus  in  the  early 
spring.  On  the  sixth  of  June,  1845,  Mormon-baiting 
began  again,  and  it  was  soon  evident  that  nothing  but  a 
complete  exodus  would  satisfy  the  people.  All  Nauvoo, 
therefore,  became  active  with  preparations  for  departure. 
But  how  dispose  of  the  possessions  they  could  not  take 
with  them?  Houses,  lots,  barns  and  farms,  were  not 
immediately  convertible  into  money,  or  even  exchangeable 
for  horses  and  wagons,  at  a  moment's  notice.  Was  there 
any  recognition  of  this  fact  on  the  part  of  the  people  of 
Illinois?  Did  they  care?  Were  they  thinking  of  prop- 
erty soon  to  be  cheaply  gained,  or  of  the  needs  of  the  flee- 
ing Mormons  ?  There  was  little  active  Christianity  in  the 
answer  given  at  the  time.  A  few  men  were  left  behind 
to  make  the  best  bargains  possible  for  their  abandoned 
possessions,  and  the  rest,  almost  at  the  point  of  the  sword, 
gathered  together,  early  in  February,  1846,  on  the  east- 
ern bank  of  the  Mississippi. 

On  the  4th,  the  first  teams  began  to  cross  over  in  flat 
boats,  and  for  days  these  boats  shuttled  back  and  forth, 
together  with  every  kind  of  available  craft  conveying 
horses,  wagons,  mules,  cattle,  passengers  and  their  per- 
sonal possessions.  It  was  winter  time.  The  cold  was 
intense.  Snow  began  to  fall,  and  soon  the  river  was 
frozen  over,  so  that  after  about  the  17th  the  remainder  of 


"  The  Salt  Lake  Trail  " 

hrom  a  (tjinfituj  hy  J.  Gardner  Scott.     Reproduced  throui)h  the 
courtesy  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad 


Out  of  Great  Tribulation 101 

the  people  crossed  on  the  ice.  Camp  was  estabhshed  at 
Sugar  Creek,  a  few  miles  from  Nauvoo,  but  almost  within 
sight  of  the  city.  When  all  the  people  were  assembled, 
near  the  end  of  March,  after  receiving  public  and  private 
instructions  from  Brigham  Young  as  to  their  march,  the 
journey  to  Council  Bluffs,  400  miles  away  began. 

Were  they  gloomy,  bitter,  full  of  hatred  at  their  ene- 
mies, utterly  cast  down,  hopeless  as  to  the  future?  The 
men  and  women  of  Iowa  watched  them  as  they  passed  and 
wondered  that  a  people  who  were  practically  outcasts  from 
their  civilization,  and  traveling  whence  they  knew  not, 
could  be  so  happy  and  carefree.  They  watched  them  camp 
at  night  and  engage  in  songs  and  prayers  of  praise  and 
thanksgiving,  and  then  make  merry  with  dance  and  song. 

As  they  journeyed  their  ranks  were  swelled  with  fresh 
bands,  until  their  wagons  numbered  3,000,  and  they  had 
30,000  head  of  cattle,  a  great  number  of  mules  and  horses, 
and  immense  flocks  of  sheep.  In  due  time  the  Missouri 
was  reached,  and  Winter  Quarters  established,  in  Nebraska, 
on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  a  little  above  the  modern 
Omaha,  on  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Florence.  In 
early  autumn  12,000  Mormons  were  assembled  here,  or 
rapidly  approaching. 

In  the  meantime  the  defiant  few,  who  had  remained 
behind,  determined  not  to  abandon  their  homes  and  farms 
without  a  strong  effort  to  sell  them,  together  with  those 
who  were  purposely  left  to  make  what  bargains  they 
could  with  the  people  of  Illinois  for  the  Mormon  property, 
were  having  exciting,  thrilling  and  dangerous  experiences. 
Their  presence  was  denounced  as  a  breaking  of  the  agree- 
ment, and  mob  violence  again  rose  against  them.  Then 
it  was  that  Major  Warren  was  sent  by  the  Governor  to 
protect  this  small  remnant  of  the  Mormons,  and  he  en- 
deavored to  do  his  duty  faithfully  and  honestly.  In  a 
letter  sent  by  him  to  the  Qimicy  Whig,  he  asserted  the 


1 02       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

good  faith  of  the  Mormons,  and  condemned  the  ruthless 
spirit  of  the  mob.    Among  other  things  he  stated: 

"  A  man  of  near  sixty  years  of  age,  living  about  seven 
miles  from  this  place,  was  taken  from  his  house  a  few 
nights  since,  stripped  of  his  clothing,  and  his  back  cut  to 
pieces  with  a  whip,  for  no  other  reason  than  that  he  was  a 
Mormon,  and  too  old  to  make  successful  resistance.  Con- 
duct of  this  kind  would  disgrace  a  horde  of  savages." 

Yet  in  spite  of  this  assurance  of  their  own  militia  offi- 
cer, and  led  by  a  professed  Christian  minister,  the  mob 
continued  its  violence  until,  on  the  seventeenth  day  of 
September,  the  remnant  of  the  Mormons  crossed  the 
Mississippi,  and  on  the  same  day  the  Gentiles  took  posses- 
sion of  Nauvoo. 

Let  us  look,  however,  at  the  Mormon  band.  There 
were  640  of  them.  Nearly  all  were  prostrated  by  chills 
and  fever.  There,  at  the  river  bank,  among  the  rushes 
and  reeds,  poorly  protected,  without  the  shelter  of  a  roof 
or  anything  to  keep  off  the  force  of  the  wind  and  rain, 
women  were  lying  in  the  throes  of  childbirth,  and,  later 
on,  the  wails  of  newborn  infants  were  heard.  They  had 
not  good  food  enough  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of  the  sick, 
nor  clothing  enough  to  cover  their  nakedness.  And  this 
is  but  a  small  part  of  what  they  had  to  endure  for  months, 
until  wagons  from  Winter  Quarters  were  sent  to  bring 
them  in. 

It  was  too  late  to  begin  the  long,  weary  and  dangerous 
journey  across  the  plains,  so  the  winter  was  spent  here, 
on  the  Missouri,  getting  ready.  At  last  the  pioneer  volun- 
teer band,  led  by  Brigham  Young,  as  lieutenant-general, 
with  eight  members  of  the  Mormon  Chief  Council,  on 
April  14,  1847,  started  for  the  west.  The  company  con- 
sisted of  143  persons,  including  three  women,  in  seventy- 
three  wagons  drawn  by  horses  and  mules,  and  loaded  with 
grain  and  farming  implements,  and  with  provisions  which 
were  deemed  sufficient  to  last  them  for  a  return  journey. 


Out  of  Great  Tribulation 103 

Of  the  arrival  of  this  pioneer  company  on  the  shores  of 
the  Great  Salt  Lake  I  have  already  written. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1847,  1,553  more  Mormons,  under 
the  command  of  Parley  P.  Pratt,  left  Winter  Quarters  for 
the  west,  which  in  due  time  met  Brigham  Young  return- 
ing to  report.  There  was  great  rejoicing  at  the  meeting, 
and  greater  still  when  Brigham  reached  Winter  Quarters 
and  told  of  the  wonderful  country  God  had  given  them. 
Immigration  now  proceeded  more  rapidly,  until  all  those 
gathered  at  the  Missouri  had  either  gone  forward  to 
Deseret  —  as  the  Mormons  called  their  new  land  —  or 
had  abjured  the  faith  and  departed  elsewhere. 

But  it  must  not  be  thought  that  this  ended  the  stream  of 
new-comers  to  the  land  of  their  Zion.  Missionaries  were 
working  throughout  Europe,  and  converts  by  the  thou- 
sands were  desirous  of  reaching  Zion.  Expeditions  were 
organized  and  party  after  party  crossed  the  plains  and  were 
duly  absorbed  in  Utah.  The  poorer  emigrants  were  aided 
by  a  revolving  fund  provided  by  the  Church,  which  was 
to  be  returned  as  soon  as  the  one  aided  could  afford  to 
repay.  But  in  1856,  there  was  such  an  increased  number 
of  the  poorer  class  who  desired  to  reach  Utah,  that  a 
cheaper  method  of  transferring  them  across  the  plains 
than  by  wagons  must  be  devised.  Then  it  was  that  Brig- 
ham had  the  "  inspiration  "  of  the  hand-cart  brigade.  It 
would  afford  fascinating  reading  could  one  give  in  full 
detail  the  story  of  this  episode  in  the  history  of  Mormon- 
ism.  Suffice  to  say  that  the  first  "  batch,"  numbering 
about  1,300  left  Liverpool  in  1846,  and  reached  Iowa 
City  in  safety.  Here  the  hand-carts  were  built.  There 
was  some  unnecessary  delay  in  this  work,  and  it  was  not 
over-well  done,  yet  the  first  companies,  starting  early  in 
the  season,  got  through  without  mishap. 

The  second  company,  commanded  by  James  G.  Willie, 
was  not  in  motion  westward  until  the  middle  of  July,  and 
the  third,  under  Captain  Edward  Martin,  until  the  end  of 


104       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

that  month.  These  late  starts  were  disastrous,  for  the 
WilHe  Company,  which  numbered  about  500,  after  four 
weeks'  travel  reaching  the  Missouri  River,  were  there 
warned  by  an  elder,  named  Savage,  who  had  already  made 
the  trip  to  the  Salt  Lake,  that  it  would  not  be  possible  to 
cross  the  mountains  with  a  mixed  company  of  aged  peo- 
ple, women  and  little  children,  so  late  in  the  season,  with- 
out much  suffering,  sickness  and  death.  But  the  counsels 
of  Savage  were  overruled  and  the  company  set  forth  from 
Florence  on  August  18.  The  chief  drawback  of  the 
earlier  part  of  the  journey  was  the  breaking  down  of  the 
hand-carts,  the  axles  and  boxes  both  being  of  wood.  They 
reached  Laramie,  about  the  ist  of  September,  and  were 
disappointed  in  that  provisions  were  not  there  for  them 
as  had  been  promised.  After  careful  consideration  it  was 
discovered  that,  at  the  present  rate  of  travel  and  consump- 
tion of  flour,  the  latter  would  be  exhausted  while  the  trav- 
elers were  still  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  their 
destination.  Instead  of  remaining  until  further  provi- 
sions were  obtained  they  rashly  decided  to  go  on,  having 
reduced  the  ration  of  flour  from  one  pound  to  three- 
fourths  of  a  pound  per  day.  At  Independence  Rock  they 
received  a  letter  informing  them  that  provisions  would 
meet  them  at  South  Pass,  but  as  their  flour  would  be  gone 
before  they  reached  that  point,  they  were  compelled  again 
to  reduce  their  allowance.  This,  perhaps,  could  have  been 
borne,  but  now  the  weather  began  to  grow  colder  and 
colder,  and  the  streams  they  had  to  ford  were  so  icy,  that 
many  were  severely  chilled.  Hardships  increased,  sick- 
ness became  rife,  many  of  the  older  people  lost  heart  and 
succumbed,  until  soon,  it  was  seldom  that  a  camp  ground 
was  left  without  one  or  more  burials.  Worn  down  by 
hunger,  hardship,  fatigue,  scarcity  of  clothing  and  bed- 
ding, even  strong  men  succumbed,  and  to  weakness  and 
debility  was  added  the  scourge  of  dysentery.  Thus  the 
party  traveled  on  in  misery  and  sorrow  day  after  day,  and 


Out  of  Great  Tribulation  105 

the  minds  and  bodies  of  many  became  so  dulled  that  they 
faced  the  death  of  their  nearest  and  dearest  without  a 
seeming  pang. 

But  it  was  when  the  snow  storm  broke  upon  them,  and 
they  were  surrounded  by  snow  a  foot  and  more  deep  that 
they  were  compelled  to  halt  and  make  a  permanent  camp 
until  help  could  be  secured.  The  dysentery  increased  in  vir- 
ulence and  several  died  from  exhaustion.  In  the  meantime 
Captain  Willie  and  two  companions  had  gone  ahead,  in 
spite  of  the  storm,  to  hurry  up  the  expected  provisions. 
They  were  gone  three  days  —  days  that  to  the  poor,  sick, 
cold  and  starving  emigrants,  were  weeks  in  seeming  dura- 
tion, crowded  with  pain  and  sorrow.  Then,  on  the  eve- 
ning of  the  third  day,  relief  came  to  them.  Several  cov- 
ered wagons  were  seen  and  shouts  of  delight  and  joy  rent 
the  air.  Before  long,  and  as  speedily  as  it  could  be 
arranged,  a  full  distribution,  not  only  of  food,  but  of 
clothing  and  bedding  took  place,  and  there  was  general 
rejoicing.  But  they  were  still  far  from  their  "  desired 
haven."  They  resumed  their  journey,  at  first  going  but  a 
very  few  miles.  It  grew  colder  and  colder;  many  got 
their  feet,  fingers  and  ears  badly  frozen,  and  the  sever- 
ities of  the  weather  so  increased  the  number  of  deaths 
that  several  were  buried  each  day.  Another  snow  storm 
swept  over  and  about  them,  and  at  last,  one  day,  it  was 
found  that  there  were  thirteen  who  had  died,  of  all  ages 
and  both  sexes,  and  their  poor,  frail  bodies  were  frozen 
stiflF.  While  these  were  being  buried  two  others  died,  so 
fifteen  were  laid  in  their  graves  on  that  one  day. 

Finally  Fort  Bridger  was  reached,  where  wagons  and 
horses  were  provided,  so  that  all  rode  into  Salt  Lake  City. 
But  it  was  a  sadly  diminished  company  that  arrived. 
When  they  left  Iowa  City  they  numbered  five  hundred. 
A  few  deserted  while  passing  through  Iowa.  When  they 
reached  Florence  the  number  was  four  hundred,  of  whom 
sixty-six  died  on  the  journey. 


100      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

^lartin's  Company,  which  followed,  arrived  on  Novem- 
ber 30,  1856.  They  had  numbered  near  six  hundred  on 
the  start,  and  had  lost  one  fourth  by  death. 

There  has  been  much  bickering  as  to  who  was  to  blame 
for  the  hand-cart  expeditions.  Whoever  it  was,  it  cannot 
be  questioned  that  the  members  who  survived  reached 
Utah  "  through  great  tribulations,"  and  if  their  faith  was 
still  unimpaired  then,  indeed,  could  they  triumph  in  their 
deliverance. 


CHAPTER  VI 

BUILDING  A  STATE 

It  was  through  great  tribulations  that  the  saints  came 
to  their  chosen  home  in  the  far-away  West.  Persecutions 
followed  them  until  civilization  was  left  behind.  The 
wild  aborigines  they  met  with  were  kindness  personified 
compared  with  the  people  they  were  fleeing  from.  Brig- 
ham  Young,  as  we  have  seen,  led  the  first  party  of  pio- 
neers, who,  on  foot,  on  horseback,  in  wagons  pulled  by 
horses,  mules  and  oxen,  daily  saw  themselves  a  little 
nearer  their  unknown  goal.  At  that  time  the  region  now 
known  as  Utah  was  a  part  of  the  domain  of  Mexico,  and 
there  is  no  doubt  but  that  Brigham  desired  to  get  entirely 
out  of  the  boundaries  of  the  United  States.  Fate,  how- 
ever, willed  otherwise,  for,  as  is  well  known,  one  of  the 
fruits  of  the  Mexican  War,  —  at  this  time  threatening 
the  peace  of  the  two  countries,  —  was  the  transfer  to  the 
United  States  of  that  vast  western  territory  which  in- 
cluded Utah,  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  and  California. 

Whither  were  they  going  —  this  advance  band?  Did 
they  know?  Did  anyone  know?  It  is  very  doubtful. 
Somewhere  in  the  region  of  the  Pacific,  beyond  the  prai- 
ries, deserts  and  mountains,  far,  far  out  of  the  reach  of 
their  persecutors  —  this  was  their  desire  and,  possibly, 
the  extent  of  their  knowledge.  What  sublime  faith  either 
in  their  leaders  or  in  the  ever-watchful  guidance  of  God! 
There  had  been  no  exodus  like  this  for  a  thousand  years. 

We  have  seen  the  first  band  of  pioneers  arrive  in  the 
Salt  Lake  Valley,  July  24,  1847,  and  have  heard  Brigham 

107 


108       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

Young's  declaration :  "  This  is  the  place !  "  Work  began 
immediately.  Every  Mormon  was  a  worker.  Some  went 
into  the  canyons  to  cut  down  trees,  others  prepared  for 
building  by  making  adobes,  and  activity  was  rife  every- 
where. By  the  end  of  August  twenty-nine  log  houses 
were  built,  either  with  roofs  or  ready  for  the  usual  sub- 
stitute of  poles  and  dirt. 

Then  more  of  the  people  came  and,  though  crops  were 
good,  January,  1848,  saw  food  growing  so  scarce  that  it 
had  to  be  rationed  out.  Beef  was  poor,  as  the  oxen  had 
not  yet  recovered  from  the  hard  driving  they  had  endured 
in  crossing  the  plains.  Yet  every  Sunday  saw  these  peo- 
ple assembled  in  some  suitable  place  for  worship.  Cloth- 
ing was  scarce.  Furniture  was  home-made,  and  many 
substitutes  for  coffee  and  tea  were  used.  The  houses  were 
built  so  as  to  serve  as  fortresses  against  the  Indians.  Lots 
were  apportioned,  but  none  allowed  for  speculation.  The 
outside  farming  land  was  surveyed  into  five,  ten,  forty 
and  eighty  acre  tracts,  and  given  to  those  who  could  and 
would  use  them. 

The  second  winter  a  thousand  more  well-filled  wagons 
arrived  and  the  people  had  to  be  provided  for.  The 
weather  was  exceedingly  cold;  nearly  all  suffered,  for 
food  was  scarce,  many  having  to  subsist  on  roots,  thistles 
and  even  rawhides.  The  Church  authorities  distributed  a 
little  milk,  meat  and  a  small  amount  of  breadstuff  to  pre- 
vent starvation,  but  the  famine  continued  until  harvest 
time,  which,  fortunately,  in  1849,  was  a  most  bountiful 
one.  Indeed,  for  six  years  thereafter  none  wanted  for 
bread  in  Salt  Lake  Valley. 

During  all  this  time,  while  a  City  and  County  Govern- 
ment had  been  organized,  the  Church  practically  con- 
trolled everything,  its  officers  distributing  provisions, 
apportioning  lots  and  acreage,  ordering  work  done  and 
methods  to  be  followed.  In  all  this  the  leading  spirit  was 
Brigham  Young.     He  was  here,  there  and  everywhere, 


Building  a  State 109 

working,  exhorting,  planning,  guiding,  directing,  stimu- 
lating and  encouraging.  The  Bowery  —  a  temporary 
building  of  poles  and  boughs  —  was  erected  for  services 
and  all  the  gatherings  of  the  people.  The  streets  of  the 
city  had  already  been  laid  out.  Orchards  and  gardens 
were  planted  in  every  direction  and  thriving  fields  of 
grain  gladdened  the  eye. 

Then  came  the  gold-seekers  on  their  way  to  California,  v 
Many  were  abundantly  supplied  with  money  and  they  were  \ 
willing  to  pay  well  for  whatever  the  saints  had  to  sell.     ' 
Others  were  weary  and  dispirited,  their  cattle  worn  out, 
wagons  broken  and  themselves  empty  in  pocket  and  suf- 
fering from  the  unexpected  hardships  and  dangers  of  the 
trip.     These  were  willing  to  sell  tools,  household  furn- 
iture and  spare  clothing  at  low  prices,  or  eager  to  exchange 
them  for  provisions  and  pack-animals. 

Carrying  companies  were  organized  to  ply  between  the  ^ 
Missouri  River  and  California.     Thus  ready  means  of 
communication  were  afforded  the  Mormons  in  providing 
for  the  conveyance  of  the  gold-seekers  and  their  goods. 
More  immigrants  came  and  more  and  more  small  bands  j 
were  sent  out  to  establish  colonies  in  suitable  locations.  I 
Thus  Centerville,  Bountiful,  Ogden,  Lynne,  Provo,  Battle 
Creek,  Lehi,  Fillmore,  Payson  and  the  rest  were  started  / 
and  the  valleys  occupied. 

In  time  there  were  conflicts  between  the  settlers  and  the 
Indians  and  then  came  an  Indian  War,  in  which,  of 
course,  the  Indians  were  defeated  and  shown  the  folly  of 
fighting  against  the  white  man,  even  though  it  were  in 
defense  of  their  own  rights. 

Early  in  1849  the  Territory  of  Deseret  was  organized, 
with  Salt  Lake  City  as  its  capital,  and  arrangements  made 
for  the  election  of  the  officers.  In  due  time  at  the  elec- 
tion, all  the  offices  were  filled,  with  Brigham  Young  as 
Governor.  A  delegate,  Almon  W.  Babbitt,  was  sent  to 
Congress,  to  present  a  memorial  that  Deseret  be  admitted 


1 1 0       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

as  a  state,  accorded  all  the  rights  and  privileges  hilJierto 
given  to  other  sovereign  states,  and  its  constitution 
ratified. 

The  first  consideration  given  by  Congress  was  both  cool 
and  adverse.  Babbitt  was  refused  a  seat,  and  the  State  of 
Deseret  refused  recognition.  But  the  fight  for  the  exten- 
sion, and  the  suppression,  of  slavery  was  going  on  in  Con- 
gress, so  on  the  9th  of  September,  1850,  Deseret  was 
admitted  to  the  Union  as  the  Territory  of  Utah,  shorn 
somewhat  extensively  of  some  of  the  proportions  it  had 
assumed,  and  it  was  expressly  provided  that,  when  it  was 
admitted  as  a  state,  the  question  of  slavery  should  be 
determined  by  its  citizens. 

Now  began  that  connection,  as  a  legal  part  of  the  United 
States,  which  soon  became  an  irritation  both  to  the  Terri- 
tory and  the  Federal  Government.  Polygamy  had  already 
been  established,  and  when  the  first  batch  of  federal  offi- 
cials, appointed  by  the  President,  appeared  on  the  scene, 
one  of  them.  Associate  Justice  Brocchus,  asking  permis- 
sion to  address  a  conference  of  the  Mormon  Church,  took 
occasion  to  upbraid  the  leaders  for  their  belief  in  polyg- 
amy, exhorted  the  women  to  protest  against  it,  and  gen- 
erally irritated  everyone  within  the  hearing  of  his  voice. 

Brigham  Young,  as  President  of  the  Church  and  Gov- 
ernor of  the  territory,  rebuked  Brocchus  in  no  measured 
terms  and  thus  began  the  quarrel,  which,  fostered  by 
selfish  and  irresponsible  men,  lasted  for  years,  and  ulti- 
mated  in  the  sending  of  a  federal  army  to  punish  the 
alleged  insubordination  of  the  people  of  Utah.  This  army 
was  so  harassed  that  it  was  defeated  ere  it  reached  its 
destination. 

There  can  be  no  question  that  for  several  years  the  per- 
sonal and  ecclesiastical  influence  of  Brigham  Young  gave 
him  almost  absolute  power  as  Governor.  That  he  used 
this  dictatorial  power,  in  the  main,  wisely  and  unselfishly, 
is  generally  conceded,  though,  naturally,  many  of  his  indi- 


Building  a  State 111 

vidual  actions  were  severely  criticised  by  those  who  were 
affected  by  them  as  they  thought  adversely. 

In  January,  1854,  Utah  again  sought  admission  as  a 
state,  again  to  be  refused.  This,  and  a  variety  of  mat- 
ters in  which  they  claimed  the  Federal  Government  dis- 
criminated against  them,  made  the  Mormons  more  angry 
than  before,  and  doubtless  widened  the  breach  that  caused 
the  so-called  "  Utah  War." 

This  war  is  a  subject  which,  for  proper  discussion, 
would  require  several  chapters,  hence  can  receive  but  the 
most  inadequate  and  meager  reference.  The  Mormons, 
still  smarting  from  the  wrongs  inflicted  upon  them  in 
Illinois  and  Missouri,  had  organized  a  militia,  which 
included  every  able-bodied  man  in  the  state.  Conflicts  of 
authority  between  the  federal  officials  and  the  Mormon 
leaders  led  to  complaints  being  forwarded  with  monoto- 
nous regularity  to  Washington,  so  that  it  soon  became  a 
general  belief  throughout  the  country  that  the  Mormons 
steadfastly  refused  obedience  to  Gentile  (that  is,  federal) 
law  and  were  continually  in  a  state  of  rebellion  to  federal 
authority.  Anyhow,  this  was  the  ostensible  reason  for 
the  Republican  party  urging  upon  President  Buchanan 
that  he  oust  Brigham  Young  as  the  Governor  of  Utah, 
and  send  a  military  force,  disguised  under  the  name  of 
posse  comitatus,  to  sustain  the  authority  of  his  successor. 
This,  on  the  face  of  it,  seemed  to  the  Mormons  to  savor 
of  the  same  kind  of  injustice  they  had  suffered  in  Illinois, 
and  it  aroused  in  them  a  strong  and  determined  spirit  of 
resistance.  Brigham  Young  vowed  he  was  Governor  and 
would  remain  Governor.  When  the  Mormons  learned 
that  a  large  force,  well  provisioned  and  armed,  was  mov- 
ing towards  Utah,  they  naturally  inferred  it  was  to  be 
used  against  them.  And,  when  it  is  recalled  they  were 
just  passing  through  the  throes  of  a  famine  year,  so  that 
there  were  many  Mormons  who  had  not  had  a  full  meal 
for  a  year  or  more,  and  further,  that  they  were  compelled 


112      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

to  feed  great  multitudes  of  almost  starving  emigrants  who 
had  just  come  in  with  hand-carts,  it  can  scarcely  be 
expected  that  they  would  look  forward  to  a  military  force 
overrunning  them  and  consuming  their  food  supplies  with 
any  degree  of  equanimity.  In  addition  to  this  politicians 
succeeded  in  having  a  mail  contract,  which  had  been  given 
to  one  of  the  Mormons,  annulled,  and  this  added  fuel  to 
the  fire.    Bancroft  thus  sums  up  the  causes  of  this  war : 

"  Thus,  in  part  through  the  stubbornness  of  the  Mor- 
mons, but  in  part  also  through  the  malice  of  a  dissolute 
and  iniquitous  judge,  the  spite  of  a  disappointed  mail  con- 
tractor, the  wire-pulling  of  birds  of  prey  at  Washington, 
and  possibly  in  accordance  with  the  policy  of  the  Presi- 
dent, who,  until  the  Confederate  flag  had  been  unfurled  at 
Fort  Sumter,  retained  in  the  valley  of  Great  Salt  Lake 
nearly  all  the  available  forces  in  the  Union  army  and  a 
store  of  munitions  of  war  sufficient  to  furnish  an  arsenal, 
was  brought  about  the  Utah  War." 

As  soon  as  the  approach  of  this  remarkable  force  was 
known  Brigham  Young  boldly  threw  down  the  gauntlet, 
or,  if  one  regards  the  actions  of  President  Buchanan  as  of 
that  effect,  then  Brigham  accepted  the  gage.  He  met  a 
special  representative  of  the  government,  Captain  Van 
Vliet,  with  the  positive  assurance  that,  while  he  and  his 
people  loved  the  constitution  and  laws  of  the  United 
States,  they  were  determined  to  suffer  no  longer  at  the 
hands  of  corrupt  men  sent  out  to  administer  those  laws, 
but  who,  constantly,  violated  the  constitution,  and  that,  if 
any  army  approached,  it  would  be  met  and  fought,  and, 
if  it  ultimately  succeeded  in  reaching  the  Valley,  it  would 
find  the  country  a  charred  and  barren  waste.  The  day 
after  Van  Vliet  departed  for  Washington,  Brigham 
Young  declared  martial  law,  forbade  all  armed  forces  to 
march  into  the  territory  under  any  pretence  whatever, 
and  also  called  upon  the  militia  to  report  for  service. 

The   instructions  of  the  commanding  officer  of  the 


Building  a  State  li 


o 


militia  forcibly  bring  before  the  reader  the  spirit  of  the 
times,  and  also  remind  him  of  the  warfare  of  the  Boers 
against  the  British.  Here  are  a  few  lines  from  a  dispatch 
captured  by  the  enemy : 

"  On  ascertaining  the  locality  or  route  of  the  troops, 
proceed  at  once  to  annoy  them  in  every  possible  way.  Use 
every  exertion  to  stampede  their  animals  and  set  fire  to 
their  trains.  Burn  the  whole  country  before  them  and  on 
their  flanks.  Keep  them  from  sleeping  by  night  surprises ; 
blockade  the  road  by  felling  trees  or  destroying  the  river 
fords  where  3^ou  can.  Watch  for  opportunities  to  set  fire 
to  the  grass  on  their  windward,  so  as,  if  possible,  to 
envelop  their  trains.  Leave  no  grass  before  them  that 
can  be  burned.  Keep  your  men  concealed  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, and  guard  against  surprise." 

Absurd,  preposterous,  impossible,  that  a  few  in  Utah 
should  dare  to  oppose  the  dignity  of  the  military  force  of 
the  United  States !  Of  course  it  was !  Yet,  somehow, 
those  few  succeeded  in  utterly  confounding  —  even  if 
they  did  not  utterly  defeat  in  battle,  —  that  same  well- 
equipped,  well-officered  army.  Its  supply  trains  were 
burned,  after  being  pillaged,  the  horses  and  cattle  stam- 
peded, the  natural  forage  all  destroyed,  the  soldiers  kept 
awake  and  on  edge  by  constant  surprise  attacks.  Snow 
began  to  fall  heavily,  yet  the  trees  that  might  have  kept 
them  warm  had  been  destroyed.  When  they  reached 
Fort  Bridger,  after  a  march  of  incredible  hardship,  they 
found  the  place  burned  to  the  ground  and  not  a  blade  of 
grass  left  for  miles.  It  was  a  time,  that  whole  winter,  of 
privation  and  suffering,  for  little  relief  was  able  to 
reach  them. 

When  the  country  at  large  learned  of  the  Mormon  war 
and  details  began  to  multiply,  they  fiercely  assailed  the 
President  for  his  actions.  Fortunately  wiser  counsels  now 
began  to  prevail  on  both  sides,  and  it  is  believed,  largely 
through   the  kindly  and  sane   ministrations   of   Colonel 


114       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

Thomas  L.  Kane,  hostilities  ceased,  the  President  signed 
an  amnesty  proclamation,  a  conference  of  peace  was  held, 
the  new  Governor  was  accepted,  and  the  soldiers  marched 
without  obstruction  into  Salt  Lake  City. 

Yet,  as  they  entered,  what  an  object  lesson  was  theirs. 
The  artillery,  trucks  and  baggage  wagons  rumbled  over 
the  stones  and  the  sharp  click  of  the  horses'  hoofs  was 
heard.  Nearby  the  creek  murmured  and  splashed  in  its 
wonted  manner.  But  there  was  no  other  sound.  Zion  was 
deserted.  The  Mormons  had  long  before  left  the  city, 
taking  with  them  all  their  movable  effects  merely  leaving 
a  score  of  men  behind,  with  instructions  to  apply  the  torch 
if  the  army  came  in  hostile  array  against  the  city. 

This  desertion  and  Moscow-like  precaution,  however, 
were  now  unnecessary,  and,  in  due  time,  the  people 
returned  to  their  homes. 

Buchanan's  impolitic  and  altogether  reprehensible  dem- 
onstration of  force  was  possibly  the  moving  impulse  to 
that  horrible  carnival  of  murder  and  plunder  known  as  the 
'  Mountain  Meadow  Massacre.  The  facts  of  this  awful 
affair  are  generally  well  known.  In  1857  a  party  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty-six  Arkansas  and  Missouri  emigrants 
were  passing  through  Utah  on  their  way  to  California. 
They  had  trouble  all  the  way  from  Salt  Lake  City  as  they 
passed  southward  to  Cedar  City.  Crimination  and  recrim- 
ination was  heard  daily  between  themselves  and  the  Mor- 
mons. Threatened  with  an  unlawful  military  force  —  as 
they  regarded  it  —  by  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
the  Mormons  were  not  disposed  to  look  with  equanimity 
upon  the  passing  of  people  who  taunted  them,  sneered 
at  their  religion  and,  so  it  is  claimed,  openly  boasted  that 
they  had  had  a  hand  in  the  killing  of  one  of  the  leading 
Mormon  preachers.  Anyhow,  thirty  miles  below  Cedar 
City,  the  travelers  were  set  upon  by  Indians,  and,  as  it  was 
afterwards  claimed.  Mormons  in  the  garb  of  Indians,  and 


Building  a  State 115 

the  whole  party,  except  the  children,  were  ruthlessly 
murdered. 

Who  committed  the  awful  crime?  The  enemies  of  the 
Mormons  and  their  leaders  have  always  charged  that 
Brigham  Young  was  responsible  for  it.  After  a  thorough 
and  careful  investigation  of  the  matter  I  cannot  find  any 
evidence  to  this  effect.  While  it  does  seem  strange  that  no 
serious  effort  was  made  to  arrest  the  supposed  culprits 
until  after  outsiders  began  to  cry  for  justice,  there  was 
no  disposition  shown  either  to  obstruct  justice  or  to  pre- 
vent the  bringing  of  the  guilty  wretches  to  the  bar  and 
allowing  them  to  suffer  the  fullest  penalty.  Unfortu- 
nately, all  but  one  of  the  chief  perpetrators  had  fled  the 
country,  and  their  whereabouts  to  this  day  has  never 
been  clearly  revealed.  The  one  participant  who  was 
caught  —  John  D.  Lee  —  was  tried,  found  guilty,  and 
finally,  on  March  23,  1877,  shot  on  the  very  spot  where, 
twenty  years  before,  the  horrible  deed  had  been  per- 
petrated. 

But,  before  Lee  was  brought  to  justice,  during  that 
delay  of  twenty  years  a  host  of  trenchant  and  virulent  pens 
were  charging  that  Brigham  Young  was  the  real  author  of 
the  massacre,  and  that  it  was  a  deed  on  a  par  with  the  dis- 
loyalty, etc.,  of  the  Mormon  Church.  These  charges  had 
their  effect  in  inflaming  the  popular  mind  against  the  Mor- 
mons, and  their  persistence  in  the  practice  of  polygamy 
but  added  further  fuel  to  the  flames. 

During  these  years,  however,  the  territory  was  grow- 
ing in  numbers  and  industries  In  1862  there  was  a  popu- 
lation of  65,000.  The  death-rate  was  an  exceedingly 
small  one.  There  was  little  pauperism  or  crime,  and  pros- 
perity seemed  to  smile  upon  every  community.  The  value 
of  the  real  and  personal  property  was  reported  in  i860  at 
$5,596,118,  of  improved  farm  lands  at  $1,333,355,  of 
farming  implements  $242,889,  of  livestock,  $1,516,707, 
and  of  manufactures,  $900,153.     It  is  well  understood 


116      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

that  these  figures  do  not  represent  more  than,  say,  fifty 
per  cent,  of  the  actual  value. 

How  wonderfully  the  country  had  changed  in  less  than 
a  decade  and  a  half.  Irrigation  had  made  the  desert  val- 
leys "  blossom  as  the  rose; ''  thriving  settlements  were  to 
be  found  north,  south,  east  and  west;  cattle,  horses  and 
sheep  thrived  on  a  thousand  farms;  sorghum  and  other 
factories  were  at  work;  beet-sugar  experimentation  and 
various  manufactures  were  in  progress,  and  the  beehive 
emblem  of  the  territory  was  well  illustrated  in  the  life  of 
the  people.  While,  however,  in  Salt  Lake  City,  social 
life  was  made  agreeable  by  concerts,  the  theater,  occa- 
sional balls  and  the  like,  there  was  much  less  of  these 
socializing  influences  in  the  more  rural  communities  ■ — 
naturally  to  their  detriment. 

In  1 86 1  a  great  slice  was  cut  from  Utah  and  made  into 
the  State  of  Nevada,  the  eastern  limit  of  the  new  state 
being  extended  in  1866  to  the  thirty-seventh  meridian. 

In  1862  another  effort  was  made,  without  avail,  to  enter 
the  Union  as  a  state.  Instead,  Congress  passed  an  act, 
introduced  by  Justine  S.  Morrill,  of  Vermont,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  punishing  and  preventing  polygamy.  This  act 
was  regarded  by  the  Mormons  as  unconstitutional  and 
they  disregarded  its  prohibitions  until,  as  recorded  in  the 
chapter  on  polygamy,  the  United  States  Supreme  Court 
passed  upon  the  subject  and  declared  polygamy  in  the 
boundaries  of  the  United  States  illegal.  Until  this  deci- 
sion was  rendered,  however,  the  subject  was  one  of  con- 
tinual irritation  and  discussion.  This  irritation  was 
materially  increased  by  the  injudicious  antagonism  of  the 
Governor  and  the  federal  judges,  and  things  came  to  such 
a  pass  that  in  May,  1862,  Colonel  P.  E.  Connor  was  or- 
dered to  Utah  with  about  seven  hundred  men.  In  Octo- 
ber the  men  reached  Camp  Floyd,  or,  as  it  is  now 
termed.  Fort  Crittenden.  They  marched  through  Salt 
Lake  City  with  fixed  bayonets,  loaded  rifles,  and  shotted 


Building  a  State  117 

cannon,  but  they  were  treated  with  what  might  be  termed 
a  contemptuous  respect.  These  volunteers  remained  for 
some  time,  but  each  side  exercised  a  wise  restraint  and 
their  services  were  not  required.  New  governors  and  offi- 
cials came  who  were  liberal,  tolerant  and  conservative,  and 
when  Lincoln  was  inaugurated  for  the  second  time,  all 
Utah  joined  to  make  the  occasion  one  of  great  rejoicing, 
and  when  the  news  of  his  death  reached  Utah  there  was 
no  state  in  the  Union  where  there  was  more  deep  and  gen- 
uine sorrow  manifested  than  here. 

Soon  Colonel  (now  General)  Connor  was  promoted  to 
a  new  station  and  orders  were  received  to  disband  the 
volunteers,  but  some  of  them  were  detained  until  replaced 
by  regular  troops.  The  reason  for  this  was,  doubtless, 
the  fact  that  there  was  still  considerable  dissatisfaction 
against  the  Mormons,  and  this  was  shown  by  the  murder 
of  two  Gentiles,  Newton  Brassfield  and  King  Robinson. 
Innocent  or  guilty,  the  leaders  of  the  Church  were  accused 
of  at  least  conniving,  if  not  actually  ordering  these  assas- 
sinations. These  and  other  crimes  so  alarmed  the  Gen- 
tiles, that,  had  the  Overland  railroad  not  been  begun  and 
completed  about  this  time,  there  is  little  question  but  that 
the  Mormons  would  have  been  left  in  entire  possession  of 
the  country.  But  the  railroad  seemed  materially  to  change 
things.  There  was  an  influx  of  fresh  blood,  and  while 
there  was  still  antagonism  between  the  two  factions,  espe- 
cially in  Salt  Lake  City,  there  were  several  important 
defections  from  the  Church  and  a  spirit  of  greater  tol- 
erance began  to  appear. 

In  the  commercial  world,  however,  Gentiles  and  Mor- 
mons strove  for  control.  The  Z.  C.  M.  I.  (Zion's 
Cooperative  Mercantile  Institution)  was  organized,  un- 
doubtedly with  the  purpose  of  seeking  to  control  the  Mor- 
mon trade,  and  for  a  time  it  seemed  as  if  ruin  would  fall 
upon  the  Gentile  merchants.  The  latter,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  those  Mormons  who  sought  the  reform  of  their 


118       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

Church,  but  who  had  been  cast  out,  estabhshed  a  news- 
paper —  the  Salt  Lake  Tribune  —  which  openly  waged 
war  on  Brigham  Young  and  all  his  exclusive  policies. 
And  it  may  as  well  be  stated  here  that  this  paper  con- 
tinued this  policy  as  the  organ  of  those  who  were  "  against 
the  I^Iornions  "  until  within  the  last  decade  or  so,  when 
there  has  been  a  more  conciliatory  spirit  shown  on  both 
sides  and  each  has  been  willing  to  work  with  instead  of 
against,  the  other  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  city  and  state. 

When  Grant  became  President  there  is  little  doubt  but 
that  he  would  have  suppressed  polygamy  even  at  the  cost 
of  a  new  war,  had  he  not  been  shown  that  the  Mormons 
were  better  able  to  solve  their  problems  alone.  For  sev- 
eral years  there  were  clashes  about  the  control  of  the 
militia,  which  finally  was  disbanded,  and  the  perennial 
fight  on  polygamy,  which  was  not  settled  until  the  decision 
of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  and  the  issuance  of 
the  Woodruff  Manifesto  (see  chapter  on  polygamy). 

On  the  29th  of  August,  1877,  Brigham  Young  passed 
away,  and  with  him,  the  ruling  dominant  spirit  of  Mor- 
monism.  His  will  from  the  time  he  took  the  helm  had 
been  more  powerful  than  law  in  the  hearts  of  his  follow- 
ers. His  life-work  was  done.  Loved,  revered,  obeyed  by 
his  people  almost  without  exception,  feared  by  all,  yet 
respected  by  many  of  his  enemies,  his  acts  were  now  left 
for  the  judgment  of  time  to  pass  upon.  The  state  for 
which  he  laid  the  foundations,  and  upon  which  he  built, 
is  now  a  great  commonwealth,  one  of  the  powers  of  the 
world  of  the  West. 


CHAPTER  VII 


POLYGAMY  IN  UTAH 


Up  to  the  year  1852  whatever  antagonism  had  been 
aroused  against  the  Mormons  it  cannot  be  said  that 
polygamy  had  anything  to  do  with  it.  Indeed  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  published  in  1830,  was  as  orthodox  and  con- 
ventional in  its  utterances  on  the  marital  relation  and  the 
punishments  of  God  to  man  that  should  be  visited  upon 
their  violators  as  were  the  sacred  books  and  creeds  of  any 
of  the  Christian  churches.  For  instance,  one  reads  in  the 
Book  of  Jacob,  Chapt  2.,  Verses  22  to  28 : 

"  And  were  it  not  that  I  must  speak  unto  you  concern- 
ing a  grosser  crime,  my  heart  would  rejoice  exceedingly 
because  of  you.  But  the  word  of  God  burthens  me 
because  of  your  grosser  crimes. 

"  For  behold,  thus  saith  the  Lord,  this  people  begin  to 
wax  in  iniquity;  they  understand  not  the  scriptures;  for 
they  seek  to  excuse  themselves  in  committing  whoredoms, 
because  of  the  things  which  were  written  concerning 
David  and  Solomon  his  son.  Behold,  David  and  Solomon 
truly  had  many  wives  and  concubines,  which  thing  was 
abominable  before  me,  saith  the  Lord.  Wherefore,  thus 
saith  the  Lord,  I  have  led  this  people  forth  out  of  the  land 
of  Jerusalem,  by  the  power  of  mine  arm,  that  I  might 
raise  up  unto  me  a  righteous  branch  from  the  fruit  of  the 
loins  of  Joseph.  Wherefore,  I,  the  Lord  God,  will  not 
suffer  that  this  people  shall  do  like  unto  them  of  old. 

"  Wherefore,  my  brethren,  hear  me,  and  hearken  to 
the  word  of  the  Lord :    For  there  shall  not  any  man 

119 


120       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

among  you  have  save  it  be  one  wife;  and  concubines  he 
shall  have  none : 

"  For  I,  the  Lord  God,  delight  in  the  chastity  of 
women." 

How  then,  came  this  ancient,  this  oriental,  this  Old 
Testament,  this  Mahommedan  doctrine  of  polygamy  to 
be  promulgated  —  added  to  the  other  weighty  doctrines 
the  Mormon  Church  had  placed  upon  its  shoulders? 
History  is  perfectly  clear  about  it. 

The  prophet  Joseph  Smith  had  been  dead  eight  years. 
j  The  exodus  from  Nauvoo  had  taken  place.  The  saints 
had  established  their  new  home  in  Salt  Lake  City.  There 
had  been,  and  were,  rumors  secretly  passed  about  among 
the  leaders  that  Joseph  had  believed,  and  some  said,  had 
lived,  the  doctrine  of  polygamy,  yet  few  were  prepared 
for  the  open  promulgation  of  the  doctrine,  until  on  the 
29th  day  of  August,  1852,  Brigham  Young  announced  in 
the  Tabernacle  that  a  "  Revelation  on  Plural  Marriage  " 
had  been  made  to  the  prophet,  Joseph  Smith,  at  Nauvoo, 
and  there  written  by  him,  July  12,  1843.  The  revelation 
was  then  read  by  Thomas  Bullock,  one  of  the  elders  of  the 
Church.  It  was  a  document  that  would  occupy  some  eight 
or  nine  pages  of  this  work,  and  as  it  does  not  all  specif- 
ically deal  with  the  subject,  need  not  be  reproduced 
in  toto. 

The  distinctive  features  of  the  revelation  were  as 
follows : 

1.  That  all  covenants  not  entered  into  and  sealed  by 
the  priesthood  (of  Mormonism,  of  course)  for  Eternity 
as  well  as  for  time  ended  at  death.  Therefore  a  marriage 
to  be  forever  must  be  one  for  time  and  eternity  and  be 
sealed  by  the  priesthood.  But  if  so  performed  and  sealed 
it  shall  exist  from  everlasting  to  everlasting. 

2.  When  Abraham  was  commanded  and  Sarah  gave 
Hagar  to  him  to  wife,  she  violated  no  law  for  she,  and 
Abraham  also,  acted  under  the  command  of  God.    Neither 


Polygamy  in  Utah 121 

did  Isaac,  Jacob,  Moses,  David  nor  Solomon  sin  in  receiv- 
ing many  wives  and  concubines. 

3.  Section  132  reads,  in  part,  as  follows: 

"  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  if  a  man  receiveth  a  wife  in  the 
new  and  everlasting  covenant,  and  if  she  be  with  another 
man,  and  I  have  not  appointed  unto  her  by  the  holy  anoint- 
ing, she  hath  committed  adultery,  and  shall  be  destroyed. 
If  she  be  not  in  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant,  and  she 
be  with  another  man,  she  has  committed  adultery;  and  if 
her  husband  be  with  another  woman,  and  he  was  under  a 
vow,  he  hath  broken  his  vow,  and  hath  committed  adult- 
ery, and  if  she  hath  not  committed  adultery,  but  is  inno- 
cent, and  hath  not  broken  her  vow,  and  she  knoweth  it, 
and  I  reveal  it  unto  you,  my  servant  Joseph,  then  shall 
you  have  power,  by  the  power  of  my  Holy  Priesthood,  to 
take  her,  and  give  her  unto  him  that  hath  not  committed 
adultery,  but  hath  been  faithful,  for  he  shall  be  made  ruler 
over  many ;  for  I  have  conferred  upon  you  the  keys  and 
power  of  the  Priesthood,  wherein  I  restore  all  things,  and 
make  known  unto  you  all  things  in  due  time." 

4.  Verse  59  of  the  same  section  affirms  that  if  a  man 
is  called  of  God  to  the  Priesthood  and  he  is  endowed  with 
the  keys  of  the  power  pertaining  thereto  "if  he  do  any- 
thing in  my  name,  and  according  to  my  law,  and  by  my 
word,  he  will  not  commit  sin,  and  I  will  justify  him." 

5.  Verses  61  to  63  follow: 

"  And  again,  as  pertaining  to  the  law  of  the  Priest- 
hood :  If  any  man  espouse  a  virgin,  and  desire  to  espouse 
another,  and  the  first  give  her  consent;  and  if  he  espouse 
the  second,  and  they  are  virgins,  and  have  vowed  to  no 
other  man,  then  is  he  justified;  he  cannot  commit  adult- 
ery ;  for  they  are  given  unto  him ;  for  he  cannot  commit 
adultery  with  that  that  belongeth  unto  him  and  to  no  one 
else;  and  if  he  have  ten  virgins  given  unto  him  by  this 
law,  he  cannot  commit  adultery,  for  they  belong  to  him, 
and  they  are  given  unto  him,  therefore  is  he  justified. 


1 2'2      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

But  if  one  or  either  of  the  ten  virgins,  after  she  is 
espoused,  shall  be  with  another  man,  she  has  committed 
adultery,  and  shall  be  destroyed ;  for  they  are  given  unto 
him  to  multiply  and  replenish  the  earth,  according  to  my 
commandment,  and  to  fulfil  the  promise  which  was  given 
by  my  Father  before  the  foundation  of  the  world  and 
for  their  exaltation  in  the  eternal  worlds,  that  they  may 
bear  the  souls  of  men;  for  herein  is  the  work  of  my 
Father  continued,  that  He  may  be  glorified." 

Naturally  this  alleged  revelation  will  be  received  by  the 
reader  according  to  his  preconceived  ideas. 

When  Joseph  Smith  received  this  "  revelation  "  it  is 
not  for  me  to  say,  any  more  than  whence  came  all  the 
other  revelations.  But  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that 
we  realize  the  effect  it  had  upon  his  people.  Brigham 
Young  and  all  the  leaders  of  the  church  accepted  and  lived 
it  and  urged  it  upon  the  attention  and  obedience  of  the 
flock. 

To  say  that  it  made  a  sensation  would  be  to  put  it 
mildly,  not  only  in  the  Tabernacle  at  the  time,  but  imme- 
diately throughout  Utah  and  the  United  States.  In  Eng- 
land it  threatened  to  break  up,  for  the  time  being,  the 
successful  missions  which  had  long  been  carried  on.  And 
it  may  as  well  be  said  that  from  that  moment  polygamy, 
as  a  religious  doctrine,  openly  confessed  and  openly 
lived,  was  doomed  in  this  "  land  of  the  free." 

Undoubtedly,  it  was  to  this  peculiar  doctrine  and  insti- 
tution, thus  openly  proclaimed  and  lived  in  Utah,  that  we 
owe  much  of  the  literature  —  some  of  it  of  a  high  class  — 
written  by  cultured  foreigners  like  Remy  and  Bienckley 
of  France  and  Robert  Burton  of  England,  condemning 
the  system  but  without  vindictive  vituperation  such  as  was 
common  to  most  political  and  religious  enemies  of  the 
new  faith. 

So  long  as  Brigham  Young  lived  he  stood  by  the  revela- 
tion of  the  Prophet  Joseph,  though  none  knew  so  well  as 


LORENZO    SNOW,    FIFTH    PRESIDENT   OF    THE    MORMON    CHURCH. 


Polygamy  in  Utah 123 

he  the  fierce  hostihty  that  faithfulness  aroused.  Yet. 
perhaps,  he  felt  with  the  "  Great  Emancipator  " —  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  —  who,  after  he  had  stricken  the  shackles 
from  the  negro  slaves,  was  asked  to  repeat  the  blow  and 
destroy  polygamy  in  Utah,  replied  "  Let  it  alone,"  Pos- 
sibly Brigham  Young  was  willing  to  allow  time  to  adjust 
the  matter.  If  it  were  found  to  be  as  dire  an  injury  to 
the  republic  as  its  enemies  feared  and  claimed  there  was 
little  doubt  but  that  the  country  at  large  would  suppress 
it.  But  this  is  a  mere  supposition  on  my  part.  Brigham 
Young  firmly  adhered  to  the  principle  so  long  as  he  lived; 
never  failed,  when  the  need  or  occasion  arose,  to  present 
his  many  wives  to  "  the  stranger  within  his  gates,"  and, 
later,  suffered  arrest  for  his  fidelity  to  the  faith  he  pro- 
fessed. 

In  dealing  with  this  subject  it  must  be  remembered 
that  Christianity,  outside  of  Mormonism,  is  essentially 
monogamous,  and  that  all  professedly  Christian  nations 
have,  outwardly  at  least,  vigorously  defended  monogamy 
as  the  only  marital  system  that  is  natural  or  countenanced 
by  God.  This  attitude  was  so  thoroughly  taken  for 
granted  that  the  contrary  arguments  of  the  polygamists 
aroused  the  fiercest  antagonism.  And  it  must  also  be 
remembered  that  the  Mormon  promulgation  of  the  doc- 
trine came  at  a  time  when  the  whole  country  was  angered 
with  the  Mormons,  and  this  seemed  like  a  deliberate 
throwing  of  new  and  dangerous  oil  upon  the  flames. 

Yet,  now  that  it  is  no  longer  taught  and  practiced  by 
the  Mormons,  it  seems  fair  to  allow  high-minded  and 
responsible  Mormons  themselves  to  be  the  expounders  of 
their  own  reasons  for  accepting  and  entering  into  the 
polygamous  relation. 

For  instance,  Lorenzo  Snow  was  one  of  the  first  of  the 
elders  sent  as  a  missionary  to  England.  He  was  wonder- 
fully successful  there.  On  his  return,  or  soon  there- 
after, the  prophet  Joseph  had  a  talk  with  him  upon  the 


1 24       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

question  of  marriage  —  and  plural  marriage  at  that. 
According  to  Eliza  R.  Snow,  his  sister,  a  woman  of  great 
ability,  of  poetic  gifts  and  dignified  Christian  character, 
her  brother  had  been  so  occupied  with  his  missionary 
labors  that  "  virtually  he  had  ignored  the  first  command- 
ment to  '  multiply  and  replenish  the  earth.'  "  He  was 
now  thirty-one  years  of  age,  Joseph  showed  him  his 
duty,  and,  at  a  family  reunion  on  the  7th,  8th  and  9th  of 
May,  1884,  when  he  had  attained  his  seventieth  birthday, 
and  his  wives  and  children,  sisters  and  brothers,  sons-in- 
law  and  daughters-in-law  with  their  little  ones,  were 
assembled,  he  referred  to  this  conversation  with  the 
prophet  and  its  effect,  as  follows : 

"  About  forty  years  ago  I  was  an  unmarried  man,  and 
to  this  day  would  have  remained  so,  had  I  not  received  an 
understanding  of  the  law  of  celestial  marriage,  its  object 
and  necessity  in  securing  eternal  glory  and  exaltation. 
My  heart  and  soul,  all  my  energies  and  ambitions  were 
enlisted  in  the  service  of  God,  and  I  thought  I  could  not 
better  please  or  serve  Him  than  by  employing  my  entire 
time,  unburdened  by  family  cares,  in  the  great  field  of  mis- 
sionary labor.  Joseph,  the  Prophet,  in  a  private  interview 
at  Nauvoo,  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  gave  me  a 
full  explanation  of  the  principles  of  celestial  marriage, 
and  pointed  out  to  me  clearly  my  duty  and  privileges  in 
reference  to  that  law.  This  numerous,  intelligent  and  hon- 
orable family  assemblage  is  the  result  of  my  conformity 
to  the  knowledge,  advice  and  counsel  received  in  that  im- 
portant interview. 

"  Peculiar  feelings  and  reflections  are  naturally  aroused 
in  contemplating  the  past  and  the  singular  circumstances 
in  the  providence  of  God,  which  have  brought  about  this 
wonderful  change  in  my  present  condition  and  prospects. 
Forty  years  ago,  a  lone  bachelor  of  some  thirty  years, 
under  the  influence  of  erroneous  views  in  the  subject  and 
necessity  of  marriage,  its  eternal  blessings  and  crowning 


Polygamy  in  Utah  125 

glory;  no  loving  wife  to  say,  'Dear  husband;'  no  child 
to  lisp  the  endearing  words,  'My  papa,'  and  now  sur- 
rounded by  and  in  the  midst  of  wives,  a  host  of  children 
and  grandchildren.  What  a  grand  and  glorious  transition. 
My  heart  is  filled  to  overflowing  with  warmest  feelings 
of  gratitude  to  my  heavenly  Father  for  these  marvelous 
blessings.  And  let  me  say,  my  dear  children,  that  your 
father's  obedience  to  this  sacred  law  of  celestial  marriage, 
at  that  day,  was  attended  with  embarrassments  and  dan- 
gers of  no  ordinary  magnitude.  We  were  surrounded 
by  our  enemies,  and  in  our  midst  were  many  half-hearted, 
ignorant  saints,  and  some  of  the  most  wicked  apostates, 
seeking  to  betray  us  into  the  hands  of  our  bitter  foes. 
When  I  look  upon  this  extensive  family,  intelligent  and 
gifted  sons  and  daughters,  half  a  score  or  more  of  the 
former  having  been  called,  sent  forth  and  performed  many 
years  of  arduous  missionary  labor  among  far  off  nations, 
and  upon  distant  islands;  and  also  behold  many  of  my 
daughters  honored  wives  and  mothers  in  Israel,  sur- 
rounded by  healthy  and  happy  children,  and  feel  that  all 
this  is  through  the  mercy  and  kindness  of  God,  and  the 
work  of  the  Great  Jehovah,  what  shall  I  say?  Language 
is  powerless  to  express  the  deep  feelings  of  my  heart  for 
this  holy  and  sacred  opportunity  on  this,  the  celebration  of 
my  seventieth  birthday,  of  standing  here  and  beholding 
this  glorious  and  heavenly  inspiring  spectacle. 

"  But  it  was  not  Lorenzo,  it  was  not  his  wisdom,  that 
wrought  this  marvelous  change,  but  the  Lord  our  God. 
You,  my  children,  should  keep  in  lively  remembrance  that 
you  are  the  fruits  of  my  obedience  to  the  law  of  plural 
marriage,  that  it  is  your  duty  to  honor  and  magnify  this 
law  as  you  may  have  opportunity.  I  trust  your  mothers 
will  employ  no  influence  on  the  minds  of  their  children 
to  cause  feelings  to  grow  up  in  their  hearts  against  these 
principles. 

"  Allow  me  here  to  express  my  gratification  in  the  con- 


12G       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

sideration  that  most  of  you,  my  dear  family,  observe  the 
Word  of  Wisdom,  and  no  one  is  in  the  habit  of  using 
wine  or  strong  drink,  nor  guilty  of  the  filthy  practice  of 
using  tobacco,  and  that  you  are  accredited  with  the  repu- 
tation of  living  moral,  upright  and  honorable  lives ;  and  I 
trust  it  may  always  be  truthfully  said  that  you  sustain 
this  reputation.  Remember,  children,  to  honor  and  obey 
your  parents,  that  you  may  be  entitled  to  the  promise 
*  That  your  days  may  be  long  in  the  land.'  Treat  your 
father's  wives  kindly  and  respectfully,  God  has  called 
them  to  be  associated  with  him  through  time  and  eternity 
to  assist  in  his  duties  and  responsibilities  and  share  his 
glory  and  dominion." 

This  is  but  one  of  scores  of  such  testimonies  that  may 
be  found  in  the  "  Lives,"  or  "  Autobiographies  "  of  lead- 
ing saints,  and  no  one  can  truthfully  say  he  has  examined 
the  question  from  the  Mormon  standpoint  unless  he  has 
honestly  considered  these  testimonies. 

Let  one  other  writer,  not  a  Mormon  by  any  means,  and 
whose  book  has  several  times  been  quoted  in  these 
pages,  —  Fitz  Hugh  Ludlow,  —  give  his  experience  with 
Mrs.  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  the  two  polygamous  wives  of 
her  son : 

"  I  found  myself  in  a  sunny  low-ceiled  sitting  room, 
where  a  fine-looking  matron,  somewhere  in  her  well  pre- 
served fifties,  sat  talking  to  a  pair  of  very  tidy  and  pre- 
possessing young  women,  both  under  twenty-five,  and 
each  holding  a  healthy  baby.     .     .     . 

"  The  sight  of  them,  after  six  hundred  miles  of  stage- 
coaching,  exhilarated  me.  'Those  are  very  pretty 
babies ! '  said  I,  addressing  the  matron  in  all  sincerity 
of  heart. 

"  '  Yes,  I  think  so,'  she  replied;  '  but  you  must  allow  for 
a  grandmother's  partiality.' 

"  I  replied  that  no  such  allowance  was  necessary  to  me 


Polygamy  in  Utah  127 

and   continued,    '  These   young   ladies   are   your   daugh- 
ters, then  ?  ' 

"  '  They  are  my  daughters-in-law,  sir,'  returned  the 
fine-looking  matron. 

"  *  So  you  have  both  your  sons  and  their  wives  with 
you?  Indeed,  you  are  to  be  envied,  with  such  a  delightful 
home  about  you  in  other  respects.' 

"  'These  babies,  sir,'  answered  the  matron  gravely,  *  are 
the  children  of  my  son,  now  abroad  on  the  Lord's  busi- 
ness —  my  son,  Mr.  Kimball,  after  whom  this  place  is 
called.  These  young  ladies  are  his  wives,  and  I  am  the 
first  wife  of  one  you  have  often  ere  this  heard  of  in  the 
States,  —  Heber  C.  Kimball,  second  president,  and  next  to 
our  prophet  Brigham  Young  in  the  government  of  Utah.' 

"  Why  should  I  blush  ?  Nobody  else  did.  The  babies 
crowed  as  they  were  tossed  ceiling-ward  in  the  maternal 
fashion,  not  even  paying  the  Gentile  intruder  the  compli- 
ment of  getting  scared  by  him.  The  young  mothers  had 
heard  the  whole  conversation;  yet  Eve  before  the  fall 
could  not  have  been  more  innocent  of  shame.  Mrs. 
Heber  Kimball  showed  no  sign  of  knowing  that  I  could 
be  surprised  by  anything  she  told  me.  Yet  I,  a  cosmopol- 
itan, a  man  of  the  world,  liberal  to  other  people's  habits 
and  opinions  to  a  degree  which  had  often  subjected  me  to 
censure  among  strictarians  in  the  eastern  states,  blushed 
to  my  very  temples.     .     .     . 

"If  the  three  observed  my  confusion,  they  had  suffi-  . 

cient  tact  not  to  show  it.  I  think  that  Mrs.  Heber  Kim-  V  V 
ball  the  first  must  undoubtedly  have  understood  my  posi- 
tion, and  that  the  plain,  straight-forward  statement  which 
she  made  was  for  the  purpose  of  landing  me  at  one  throw 
in  the  midst  of  polygamous  ideas.  .  .  .  Without  the 
least  braggadocio  or  offensive  protrusion  of  our  mutual 
and  radical  differences,  she  nevertheless  set  me  at  once 
upon  the  true  basis,  and  let  me  know  that  polygamy  was 
the  law  of  the  land  where  I  now  trod,  and  she  and  her 


128       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 


own  as  firm  In  the  faith  as  I  in  monogamy,  without  any- 
thing more  to  be  ashamed  of  in  her  creed  than  the  Vicar 
of  Wakefield  or  Horace  Greeley  in  theirs." 

Few  religionists  have  written  so  honestly  and  candidly 
about  polygamy  as  has  Bishop  Tuttle  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  who  spent  seventeen  years  in  Utah.     He  says: 

"  I  pause  to  remark  that  if  some  strength  accrues  to 
Mormonism  from  its  adjustment  to  the  nature  of  man, 
some  unsuspected  strength  is  also  won  to  it  by  its  appeal 
to  the  nature  of  women.  The  self-sacrifice  in  women,  the 
appeal  is  made  to  that.  One  knows  not  much  of  human 
life  if  he  is  ignorant  that  one  of  the  dominating  char- 
acteristics of  women  is  the  power  of  self-sacrifice.  If  self- 
sacrifice  in  women  is  continually  in  evidence  in  mothers, 
in  wives  of  worthless  husbands,  in  sisters  in  religious  com- 
munities, and  in  women  giving  up  all  in  devotion  to  love 
or  duty  or  religion,  who  wonders  that  the  appeal  to  it,  as 
in  the  matter  of  polygamy,  strange  as  it  seems,  must  be 
accounted  an  element  of  strength  in  Mormonism.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  there  were  no  more  strenuous  and  deter- 
mined upholders  of  polygamy  than  most  of  the  Mormon 
women  who  were  personally  sufferers  by  it.  To  their 
nature  it  was  a  calamity  and  hateful.  To  their  spirit  it 
was  religious  duty  and  a  call  to  self-sacrifice.  Therefore 
they  were  loyal  to  it,  determined  to  live  in  it,  and  if  need 
be,  to  die  for  it.  Spirit,  roused  and  active,  evermore  pre- 
dominates over  nature." 

Later  on  Bishop  Tuttle  writes : 

"  Polygamy  is  not  a  corner-stone  of  Mormonism,  or 
even  one  of  its  necessary  doctrines.  That  it  is  a  doctrine 
of  the  Church  and  a  divine  ordinance  is,  I  dare  say,  still 
taught  by  men  and  women  among  the  'saints,'  but  the 
practice,  save  in  sporadic  and  sly  cases,  is  given  up  in  def- 
erence to  the  government  and  in  obedience  to  the  laws,  and 
I  may  add,  in  compliance  with  the  demands  of  the  nature 
of  the  young  women,  and  the  will  of  the  young  men. 


Polygamy  in  Utah  129 

"  Polygamy  in  Utah  was  lifted  to  the  plane  of  religious 

duty,  consequently  it  did  not  work  the  awful  corruption 

in  society  one  would  have  expected.     That  women's  lives 

'   were  clouded  and  their  hearts  imbittered  by  it  is  true,  but 

.   not  seldom  the  glory  of  the  sacrifice  hallowed  the  agony 

\  of  suffering.    It  is  God's  will;  it  is  the  Church's  law;  it  is 

my  duty;  were  the  injunctions  women  repeated  to  them- 

j  selves,  while  they  bore  their  sorrow  and  were  silent." 

It  is  needless  to  recount  the  various  attacks  made  on 
polygamy  by  the  churches  of  the  country  and  in  Congress. 
Yet  never  let  it  be  forgotten  that  there  was  no  state  or 
^  federal  law  prohibiting  polygamy  in  Utah,  until  1862, 
hence  the  polygamous  Mormons  were  breaking  no  such 
law  up  to  that  time.  Neither,  according  to  their  interpre- 
tation of  the  Bible,  were  they  breaking  any  divine  law. 
When  federal  laws  were  passed  against  it  many  promi- 
nent men  went  to  the  penitentiary  for  their  faith  and 
practice.  Of  course  it  goes  without  saying  that  polygamy 
was  the  chief  deterrent  in  Congress  to  Utah  being 
admitted  as  a  state,  and  yet  the  Mormons  definitely 
refused  to  give  up  the  practice.  Their  own  contention 
is  —  and  it  is  mainly  borne  out  by  the  facts  —  that  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court  had  not  yet  passed  upon 
the  constitutionality  of  the  act  prohibiting  polygamy,  and 
that  until  it  had, —  as  with  them  it  was  a  matter  of 
religious  principle, —  they  had  a  perfect  right  to  continue 
in  its  practice.  But,  when  the  highest  court  in  the  land 
decreed  that  the  law  was  constitutional  and  must  be 
enforced,  Wilford  Woodruff,  then  the  president  of  the 
Mormon  Church,  issued  the  following  manifesto,  which 
was  later  accepted  by  the  Church : 

"  OFFICIAL  DECLARATION" 
"  To  Whom  it  May  Concern : 

"  Press  dispatches  having  been  sent  for  political  pur- 
poses,   from   Salt   Lake   City,   which  have   been   widely 


130       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

published,  to  the  effect  that  the  Utah  Commission,  in 
their  recent  report  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  allege 
that  plural  marriages  are  still  being  solemnized  and  that 
forty  or  more  such  marriages  have  been  contracted  in 
Utah  since  last  June  or  during  the  past  year;  also  that  in 
public  discourses  the  leaders  of  the  Church  have  taught, 
encouraged  and  urged  the  continuance  of  the  practice  of 
polygamy ; 

"  I,  therefore,  as  President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  do  hereby,  in  the  most  solemn 
manner,  declare  that  these  charges  are  false.  We  are  not 
teaching  polygamy,  or  plural  marriage,  nor  permitting  any 
person  to  enter  into  its  practice,  and  I  deny  that  either 
forty  or  any  other  number  of  plural  marriages  have  dur- 
ing that  period  been  solemnized  in  our  temples  or  in  any 
other  place  in  the  Territory. 

"  One  case  has  been  reported,  in  which  the  parties 
alleged  that  the  marriage  was  performed  in  the  Endow- 
ment House,  in  Salt  Lake  City,  in  the  spring  of  1889,  but 
I  have  not  been  able  to  learn  who  performed  the  cere- 
mony ;  whatever  was  done  in  this  matter  was  without  my 
knowledge.  In  consequence  of  this  alleged  occurrence  the 
Endowment  House  was,  by  my  instructions,  taken  down 
without  delay. 

"  Inasmuch  as  laws  have  been  enacted  by  Congress  for- 
bidding plural  marriages,  which  laws  have  been  pro- 
nounced constitutional  by  the  court  of  last  resort,  I  hereby 
declare  my  intention  to  submit  to  those  laws,  and  to  use 
my  influence  with  the  members  of  the  Church  over  which 
I  preside  to  have  them  do  likewise. 

"  There  is  nothing  in  my  teachings  to  the  Church  or  in 
those  of  my  associates,  during  the  time  specified,  which 
can  be  reasonably  construed  to  inculcate  or  encourage 
polygamy,  and  when  any  elder  of  the  Church  has  used 
language  which  appeared  to  convey  any  such  teaching,  he 
has  been  promptly  reproved.     And  I  now  publicly  declare 


WILFORD    WOODRUFF,    FOURTH    PRESIDENT   OF   THE 
MORMON    CHURCH. 


Polygamy  in  Utah  vn 


that  my  advice  to  the  Latter-day  Saints  is  to  refrain  from 
contracting  any  marriage  forbidden  by  the  law  of  the  land. 

"  WiLFORD  Woodruff^ 
"  President  of  the  Church  of  Tesus  Christ  . 
of  Latter-day  Saints." 

At  the  meeting  when  this  was  accepted  by  the  Church, 
among  other  things,  President  Woodruff  said : 

"  I  want  to  say  to  all  Israel  that  the  step  which  I  have 
taken  in  issuing  this  manifesto  has  not  been  done  without 
earnest  prayer  before  the  Lord.  I  am  about  to  go  into  the 
spirit  world,  like  other  men  of  my  age.  I  expect  to  meet 
the  face  of  my  Heavenly  Father  —  the  Father  of  my 
spirit;  I  expect  to  meet  the  face  of  Joseph  Smith,  of 
Brigham  Young,  of  John  Taylor,  and  of  the  Apostles, 
and  for  me  to  have  taken  a  stand  in  anything  which  is  not 
pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God,  or  before  the  heavens,!  would 
rather  have  gone  out  and  been  shot.  My  life  is  no  better 
than  other  men's.  I  am  not  ignorant  of  the  feelings  that 
have  been  engendered  through  the  course  I  have  pursued. 
But  I  have  done  my  duty,  and  the  nation  of  which  we 
form  a  part  must  be  responsible  for  that  which  has  been 
done  in  relation  to  this  principle." 

Bishop  Tuttle  places  the  cold  facts  about  polygamy  in 
terse  form,  as  follows : 

"  From  1830  to  1852  the  Mormon  Church  did  not  pro- 
mulgate it  as  a  divine  precept;  from  1852  to  1862  it 
enjoined  its  practice  as  a  divine  right  and  duty,  in  defiance 
of  Christian  custom,  but  not  in  disobedience  to  statute  law; 
from  1862  to  1890  it  enjoined  and  continued  the  practice 
in  defiance  of  statute  law;  and  from  1890  onwards,  while 
doubtless  still  believing  polygamy  to  be  a  divine  precept, 
it  has  forbidden  the  faithful  to  practice  it  because  the 
practice  would  be  in  violation  of  the  law  of  the  land." 

The  Mormon  attitude  to  the  law  is  thus  clearly 
expressed  in   The  Articles  of  Faith,  by  Dr.   James  E. 


132      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

Talmage,  one  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  in  dealing  with  the 
subject  of  "  Secular  Authority  "  : 

"  An  illustration  of  such  suspension  of  Divine  law 
is  found  in  the  action  of  the  Church  regarding  the 
matter  of  plural  or  polygamous  marriage.  The  practice 
referred  to  was  estalished  as  a  result  of  direct  revelation, 
and  many  of  those  who  followed  the  same  felt  that  they 
were  divinely  commanded  so  to  do.  For  ten  years  after 
polygamy  had  been  introduced  into  Utah  as  a  church 
observance  no  law  was  enacted  in  opposition  to  the  prac- 
tice. Beginning  with  1862,  however,  federal  statutes 
were  framed  declaring  the  practice  unlawful  and  provid- 
ing penalties  therefor.  The  Church  claimed  that  these 
enactments  were  unconstitutional,  and  therefore  void, 
inasmuch  as  they  violated  the  provision  in  the  national 
constitution  which  denies  the  government  power  to  make 
laws  respecting  any  establishment  of  religion,  or  prohibit- 
ing the  free  exercise  thereof.  Many  appeals  were  taken 
to  the  national  court  of  final  resort,  and  at  last  a  decision 
was  rendered  sustaining  the  anti-polygamy  laws  as  consti- 
tutional and  therefore  binding.  The  Church,  through  its 
chief  officer,  thereupon  discontinued  the  practice  of  plural 
marriages,  and  announced  its  action  to  the  world;  sol- 
emnly placing  the  responsibility  for  the  change  upon  the 
nation  by  whose  laws  the  renunciation  had  been  forced. 
This  action  has  been  approved  and  confirmed  by  the  offi- 
cial vote  of  the  Church  in  conference  assembled." 

There  is  one  other  phase  of  this  subject  that  should  not 
be  overlooked.  When  the  church  announced  definitely  its 
abandonment  of  polygamy  because  the  law  demanded  it, 
the  question  naturally  arose  among  polygamist  husbands : 
What  is  to  be  done  about  our  plural  wives?  The  oppon- 
nents  of  polygamy  cried  with  one  voice :  Abandon  them ! 
But  the  Mormon  men,  to  their  honor  and  credit  let  it  be 
said,  positively  refused  to  do  this.  Their  attitude  plainly 
and  simply  stated  was  this:    We  married  these  women 


Polygamy  in  Utah  188 

under  the  teachings  of  our  Church  which  we  impHcItly 
received  as  the  word  of  God ;  when  we  did  so  we  violated 
no  law  of  either  state  or  nation;  now  the  nation  says  we 
must  abandon  them.  This  we  cannot  and  will  not  do. 
We  have  pledged  ourselves  to  enter  into  no  more  such 
relationships,  but  no  power  on  earth  shall  make  us  consent 
to  abandon  the  women  that  we  made  our  legal  wives  and 
who  are  the  mothers  of  our  children.  Time  will  remedy 
the  matter.  We  and  they  will  pass  away,  and  thus,  polyg- 
amy will  receive  its  death. 

It  may  be  well,  here,  to  recall  that,  according  to  high 
statistical  authorities  in  the  Mormon  Church,  never  did 
more  than  three  per  cent,  of  male  Mormons  enter  into 
polygamous  relationships. 

In  reading  the  very  varied  attacks  made  upon  polygamy 
one  claim  is  insistently  made,  to  which  some  attention 
must  be  given.  It  is  taken  for  granted  that  polygamy 
essentially  is  based  on  the  sensual  nature  of  man,  being 
merely  a  form  of  legitimatizing  enlarged  licentiousness. 
To  this  charge  let  George  Q.  Cannon  reply,  in  a  speech 
made  before  the  House  of  Representatives,  when,  after 
serving  in  the  43rd,  44th,  45th,  and  46th  Congresses,  a 
strong  endeavor  was  made  to  deprive  him  of  his  seat.  In 
referring  to  polygamy  he  said,  among  other  things : 

"  In  regard  to  licentiousness,  concerning  which  so  much 
has  been  said,  I  wish  to  say  a  few  words.  Do  gentlemen 
understand  that  if  the  people  of  my  Territory,  those  who 
are  accused  of  violating  law  in  having  more  wives  than 
one  —  I  say  do  gentlemen,  in  considering  this  question, 
not  understand  that  if  licentiousness  and  lechery  were  the 
objects  to  be  accomplished,  that  the  people  could  reach 
this  in  a  much  cheaper  and  much  more  popular  manner 
than  by  marrying  women  and  sustaining  and  making 
legitimate  their  children?  Why,  it  needs  no  argument 
upon  this  point.  The  mere  suggestion  brings  conviction 
to  the  mind  of  any  person  who  reasons  that  the  methods 


134       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

in  vogue  elsewhere  and  which  provoke  no  wrath  would  be 
much  more  likely  to  have  been  adopted  to  accomplish 
such  a  purpose  if  that  had  been  the  object." 

There  is  one  other  phase  of  the  subject  that  must  be 
referred  to  before  leaving  the  subject.  For  the  purposes 
of  sensationalism  novelists,  backed  up  by  religious  fanat- 
ics, persist  in  charging  that  not  only  is  polygamy  still 
secretly  practiced  in  Utah,  and  other  Mormon  commun- 
ities, but  that  it  is  deliberately  planned  for  by  the  Mormon 
authorities  and  that  polygamous  marriages  are  still  per- 
formed in  their  secret  temples.  In  the  introduction  to  a 
novel,  Ezra  the  Mormon,  that  has  had  a  large  sale  in  Eng- 
land, the  author  openly  charges  : 

"  Many  people  believe  that  the  old  doctrine  of  polygamy 
has  been  stamped  out,  and  for  the  benefit  of  such  I  would 
have  it  known  that  my  story  gives  the  exact  words  of 
today's  secret  polygamous  marriage  ceremonies,  and  the 
blasphemous  initiation  rites,  with  the  exception  of  certain 
parts  which  were  not  fit  to  place  before  our  English  public." 

The  same  kind  of  a  charge  is  often  made  in  America. 
I  have  traveled  largely  in  Utah  for  nearly  forty  years;  I 
have  been  entertained  in  scores  of  Mormon  families;  I 
personally  know  hundreds  of  Mormons  and  also  of  Gen- 
tiles in  Salt  Lake  City  and  the  state  generally ;  I  personally 
know  many  of  the  apostles,  many  of  the  quorum  of  the 
seventies,  the  bishops  and  others  of  the  Church;  I  have 
personally  spoken  with  three  presidents  of  the  Mormon 
Church  upon  the  subject,  and,  again  let  me  affirm,  I  have 
no  sympathy  with  polygamy  in  any  manner  or  form,  but 
my  eyes  are  as  alert  as  those  of  most  men  and  better 
trained  to  observe  than  those  of  many,  and  I  protest 
against  the  untruthfulness  of  these  charges  of  present-day 
polygamy.  The  leaders  of  the  Church  have  solemnly 
avowed  their  abandonment  of  the  practice,  and  so  far  as 
I  know  there  is  not  the  slightest  scintilla  of  evidence  to 
the  contrary. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


THE  SALT  LAKE  THEATER 


One  of  the  noted  buildings  in  America  is  the  old  Salt 
Lake  Theater,  built  in  1 86 1-2  by  Brigham  Young.  Unlike 
the  founders  and  teachers  of  other  religions  Joseph  Smith 
not  only  believed  in  the  drama  and  its  allied  arts,  but 
warmly  fostered  them  in  the  brightest  days  of  his  life  in 
Nauvoo.  Heartily  backing  up  the  prophet  in  his  idea  of 
giving  to  the  Mormon  people  simple,  and  what  they 
deemed,  harmless  recreation,  Brigham  Young,  and  others 
of  the  apostles,  took  active  part  in  the  amateur  plays  that 
were  presented.  Dancing  was  also  actively  indulged  in, 
together  with  choral  singing  and  the  production  of  the 
great  oratorios.  It  was  natural,  therefore,  that  orchestras 
and  a  brass  band  should  be  fostered  to  aid  in  popularizing 
these  forms  of  entertainment. 

After  the  martyrdom  of  Joseph  Smith,  and  the  exodus 
was  determined  upon,  in  no  one  thing  did  Brigham  Young 
justify  his  assumptions  of  leadership  more  than  in  the 
way  he  almost  compelled  his  saddened  and  heart-broken 
people  to  turn  their  thoughts  from  the  awful  and  disas- 
trous past,  with  its  woes  and  sorrows,  to  the  duties  of  the 
present  and  the  marvelous  possibilities  of  the  future.  Let 
these  things  be  remembered,  —  the  sufferings  they  had 
gone  through,  the  murder  of  some  of  their  loved  ones,  the 
destruction  of  their  property,  the  abandonment  of  their 
homes,  the  hatred  visited  upon  them,  the  forced  leaving  of 
the  homes  of  their  choice  and  affection,  the  sickness  of 
their  aged  and  young,  and  the  consciousness,  perhaps  deep 

135 


136       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

in  their  inmost  hearts,  yet,  nevertheless,  insistent  in  its 
demand  for  recognition,  that  even  their  leaders  did  not 
know  exactly  whither  they  were  going,  and  the  further 
fact  that  their  clothing  and  food  supplies  were  very 
scant>',  and  it  can  be  seen  that  they  had  little  to  make 
merry  upon.  Yet  Brigham  was  as  wise  in  practical  lead- 
ership in  small  things  of  the  moment,  as  in  the  larger 
things  pertaining  to  his  people,  and  therefore  he  had  seen 
to  it  that  there  came  to  the  "  Camp  of  Israel,"  Captain 
William  Pitt's  brass  band.  Accordingly,  when  on  that  ist 
of  March,  1846,  they  camped  on  Sugar  Creek,  —  after 
their  first  day's  march  of  five  miles  of  that  never-to-be- 
forgotten  exodus  across  the  trackless  plains,  deserts,  can- 
yons and  mountains  to  the,  as  yet,  unknown  Utah,  — 
they  pitched  their  tents  upon  the  hard  frozen  ground,  from 
which  the  snow  had  been  scraped,  built  large  fires,  had 
their  supper,  engaged  in  worship  and  prayer,  and  then 
Brigham  and  the  other  leaders  called  upon  the  "brethren  " 
and  "  sisters,"  to  engage  in  the  dance.  The  band  played 
the  merriest  airs,  and  all  that  could,  from  the  youngest  to 
the  oldest,  engaged  in  the  fun-making,  and  several  lowans, 
who  were  attracted  to  the  camp  out  of  curiosity,  went 
away  saying  they  could  scarce  believe  their  own  eyes  at 
seeing  a  people,  fleeing  from  civilization  after  enduring 
persecution  unexampled  in  American  history,  thus  pass- 
ing away  their  time. 

But  Brigham  knew  the  philosophy  of  "  whistling  to 
keep  up  one's  courage,"  the  true  wisdom  of  joining  in  the 
universal  symphony  no  matter  how  sad  or  depressed  one 
might  feel,  and  this  practice  of  dancing  and  merry-making 
was  kept  up  on  all  of  the  weary  journeys  across  the  plains. 

On  their  arrival  at  Salt  Lake  City,  while  imperative 
demands  were  made  upon  the  time  and  energy  of  the 
people,  the  dance,  music  and  the  drama  immediately 
engaged  Brigham's  serious  attention.  The  singers  of  the 
Nauvoo  and  other  eastern  choirs  became  the  Tabernacle 


The  Salt  Lake  Theater 137 

choir;  and  in  1850  the  first  play  was  given  in  the  "  Bow- 
ery " — an  edifice  made  half  of  lumber,  half  of  boughs,  — 
located  on  the  Temple  Block. 

Two  years  later  the  Social  Hall  was  opened  and  here 
for  ten  years  the  Mormon  pioneers  engaged  in  music, 
dancing  and  the  drama.  Hiram  B.  Clawson,  who  had 
joined  the  Mormons  and  had  played  in  the  theater  of 
Nauvoo,  was  practically  in  charge  in  Salt  Lake,  and  gave 
great  delight  through  the  plays  which  he  produced. 

During  this  time  Brigham  Young  saw  that  a  more  per- 
manent temple  for  the  drama  was  needed,  so  in  1861  the 
foundations  were  laid  for  a  new  theater  and  the  walls 
erected  by  October,  On  Christmas  day  the  roof  was  on 
and  on  Thursday,  March  6,  and  Saturday,  March  8,  1862, 
the  dedication  occurred,  the  two  nights  being  required  on 
account  of  the  large  request  for  invitations  and  demand 
for  seats.    The  architect  was  William  H.  Folsom. 

Mr.  B.  Leavitt,  the  famous  theatrical  promoter  in  his 
Fifty  Years  of  Theatrical  Management  thus  speaks  of  the 
Salt  Lake  Theater : 

"  At  the  time  of  its  erection,  it  was  not  surpassed  in 
magnitude,  completeness  and  equipment  by  any  other  ex- 
isting house.  Its  stage,  130  feet  deep,  remains  the  most 
capacious  of  any  in  this  country'." 

The  dedication  exercises  consisted  of  addresses  by 
Brigham  Young  on  "  The  Capacity  of  the  Human  Body 
and  Mind  for  Development,"  Heber  C.  Kimball,  and  John 
Taylor.  In  his  address  Brigham  Young  declared :  "  If  I 
liad  my  way,  I  would  never  have  a  tragedy  played  on  tliese 
boards.  There  is  enough  of  tragedy  in  every-day  life, 
and  we  ought  to  have  amusement  when  we  come  here." 

He  admired  dancing  but  deprecated  waltzing.  He  orig- 
inally insisted  that  all  entertainments  should  be  conducted 
under  the  terms  of  strictest  morality.  In  the  earlier  days 
of  the  drama  in  Salt  Lake  City  he  personally  attended 
nearly  all  the  rehear5.als.    He  had  his  private  carriage  con- 


138       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

vey  the  actresses  to  and  from  the  hall  on  every  occasion, 
so  as  to  avoid  the  society  that  might  embarrass  them  after 
the  performance. 

The  rehearsals  of  both  plays  and  dances  invariably  were 
opened  with  prayer,  and  smoking  and  drinking  were  abso- 
lutely prohibited.  He  always  insisted  that  the  play-house 
ought  to  be  as  sacred  as  the  Temple  or  the  Tabernacle. 
While  he  was  a  real  autocrat,  he  would  not  always  insist 
upon  the  rigid  enforcement  of  his  rules,  but  improper 
conduct  on  the  part  of  the  performers  always  resulted  in 
their  instant  dismissal  and  disgrace. 

He  was  a  splendid  fireman  about  the  theater,  and  took 
every  possible  precaution  against  fire.  Once,  when  George 
Francis  Train  was  delivering  a  lecture  in  the  theater,  two 
or  three  of  the  coal-oil  footlights  began  to  smoke  and  flare. 
He  stepped  quietly  out  of  the  stage  box,  strolled  over  to 
the  lamps,  and,  with  his  broad-brimmed  hat,  wafted  out 
the  lights  and  returned  to  his  box  without  any  remark. 

Under  such  auspices  as  these  the  drama  was  bound  to 
flourish.  An  amateur  organization  of  players  was  formed, 
and  with  many  vicissitudes,  in  one  form  or  another,  con- 
tinued its  existence  for  over  fifty  years.  Professionals  of 
recognized  ability  were  engaged  to  train  the  players,  the 
first  being  Thomas  A.  Lyne,  who,  as  far  back  as  1842, 
had  thrown  in  his  lot  with  the  Mormons  in  Nauvoo.  In 
1863  he  rejoined  his  former  friends  and  associates,  but  he 
was  not  long  content  to  remain  merely  as  the  coach  for 
others.  From  the  old  bills  we  find  him  performing  in 
such  dramas  as  "  Damon  and  Pythias,"  "  Richelieu," 
"Othello,"  "Richard  HI,"  "William  Tell,"  "A  New 
Way  to  Pay  Old  Debts,"  and  the  always  favorite 
"  Pizzaro." 

Horace  G.  Whitney,  in  his  interesting  The  Drama  in 
Utah,  says  of  this  epoch  : 

"  It  is  doubtful  whether  in  all  the  annals  of  the  drama, 
a  more  unique  condition  could  be  found  than  that  which 


The  Salt  Lake  Theater 139 

existed  in  the  Mormon  playhouse,  when  T.  A.  Lyne 
arrived  in  Salt  Lake.  It  was  eight  years  before  the  advent 
of  the  railroad,  and  the  theater  had  been  built  entirely  of 
timbers  from  the  mountains,  native  stone,  and  adobes. 
Yet  all  the  appointments  of  the  house  (except  the  seats, 
which  were  wooden  benches),  were  as  complete  as  those 
in  the  large  eastern  cities.  Artists,  like  Ottinger  and 
Morris,  provided  scenery  for  all  the  plays.  A  large  ward- 
robe for  ancient  and  modern  dramas  was  kept  on  hand  in 
charge  of  Robert  Neslen,  C.  Clive,  Mrs.  Maiben  and  Mrs. 
Bowring ;  a  small  army  of  supers  could  be  clothed  in  fash- 
ion historically  correct  at  any  time.  John  Squires,  wig 
maker  and  barber,  saw  that  every  character  in  the  dress 
plays  was  provided  with  suitable  head-gear  before  he  or 
she  stepped  on  the  stage ;  a  captain  of  supers  was  respon- 
sible for  the  appearance  of  his  men  whether  they  were 
Indians,  courtiers,  slaves,  or  the  army  of  Richard  III. 
Harry  Horsley,  the  veteran  street  car  conductor  of  today, 
won  his  first  spurs  as  super  captain,  and  later  became 
locally  famous  as  the  waiter  who  bore  the  baby  Maude 
Adams  across  the  stage  upon  a  platter ;  the  fine  old  green- 
room, then  the  place  where  the  actors  met  to  receive  their 
parts  from  the  stately  stage  manager  and  occasional  player, 
John  T.  Caine,  (now  the  dressing  room  of  visiting  stars) 
contained  a  huge  mirror,  where  each  character  surveyed 
himself  or  herself  just  prior  to  venturing  before  the  audi- 
ence, and  where  fellow  players  passed  judgment  upon  the 
costumes,  and  makeups;  Charlie  Millard,  most  ingenious 
of  property  men,  could  turn  out  anything  from  a  throne 
to  a  mouse  trap,  and  manufactured  all  the  fire  works, 
lightning  and  thunders  that  any  demon  required,  while 
William  Derr,  in  charge  of  the  lighting,  though  limited 
to  coal  oil  lamps,  produced  some  illuminations  of  which 
the  house  had  no  reason  to  be  ashamed.  As  for  music, 
there  was  an  orchestra  of  twenty,  and  when  choral  effects 
were  desired,  as  in  Macbeth,  the  whole  strength  of  the  tab- 


140       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

ernacle  choir  could  be  called  on.  In  fact,  Mr.  Lyne,  fresh 
from  a  chain  of  eastern  theaters,  was  wont  to  say  that 
nowhere  outside  of  the  houses  of  the  great  populous 
cities,  and  in  but  few  of  them,  was  tliere  such  complete- 
ness of  stage  appointments,  scenery  and  accessories  as 
were  found  in  Brigham  Young's  theater,  in  the  heart  of 
the  Rockies  in  1862." 

Alfred  Lambourne,  the  poet-artist,  succeeded  Ottinger 
as  scene  painter  of  the  house.  In  his  poetic  work,  A  Play- 
house, speaking  of  conditions  at  the  Salt  Lake  Theater  in 
these  early  days,  Lambourne  says : 

"  In  my  mind's  eye,  I  do  not  see  the  Playhouse,  as  it 
now  is,  overlooked  by  buildings  higher  than  itself,  but  as 
the  structure  was  when  its  bulk  entirely  dominated  all 
that  was  around  it.  How  calmly  imposing  it  used  to  ap- 
pear, how  grandly  massive  it  showed  in  the  twilight,  or 
when  the  moonlight  was  falling  on  its  white  walls !  I,  for 
one,  could  not  go  from  home  to  the  Playhouse,  without 
passing  through  and  inhaling  the  odor  of  the  Artemisia 
and  the  sunflower.  The  odor  is  mixed  up  in  my  mind 
with  the  first  seeing  of  many  a  great  play.  But  how  can 
I  bring  back  to  your  understanding  those  times?  How 
suggest  the  indefinable  something  that  then  existed  —  out 
amid  the  semi-solitude,  the  isolation?  How  am  I  to  recall 
the  humorous  earnestness,  the  fineness  or  roughness  of 
fibre,  the  pathetic  side,  the  laughing  determination  of 
religious  pioneer  life  as  associated  with  the  theater?  Yet 
such  are  all  mixed  up  again,  with  my  memories  of  the 
Playhouse. 

"  Swing  a  circle  around  the  Playhouse  —  I  mean  as  it 
was  in  those  early  days :  swing  a  circle  of  hundreds,  of 
thousands  of  miles,  and  how  unique  it  was!  Men  who 
assisted  in  the  building  of  that  theater  acted  upon  its 
stage.  That  was  the  strong  time  of  the  legitimate  drama. 
Even  the  people  in  the  isolated  West  became  connoisseurs. 
In  this  particular  Playhouse  people  would  go  to  perform- 


The  Salt  Lake  Theater 141 

ances,  not  to  see  a  new  play,  but  to  see  some  new  actor 
or  actress  in  the  old  parts.  Each  star,  man  or  woman,  as 
they  stepped  upon  the  boards,  was  tested  by  the  acting  of 
those  who  had  gone  before.  *  Damon  and  Pythias,' 
*  Pizzaro,'  '  Virginius,'  '  The  Duke's  Motto/  '  The  Man 
with  the  Iron  Mask,'  and  the  like  plays,  not  to  mention 
those  of  the  Bard  of  Avon,  were  those  in  which  new- 
comers were  held  to  the  lines.  How  many  times,  in  that 
Playhouse,  did  I  not  see  Shakespeare's  masterpiece  ?  How 
many  actors  did  I  not  see  play  'Hamlet?'  Pauncefort, 
Lyne,  Adams,  Kean,  McCullough,  Davenport,  Miss 
Evans,  Chaplin,  Barrett,  Booth  —  that  is  not  half ! 

**  The  greater  number  of  actors  and  actresses  who  be- 
longed to  the  regular  stock  company  of  the  Playhouse, 
and  who  supported  the  stars,  had  crossed  the  plains  and 
mountains  in  ox  or  mule  trains,  and  one,  I  believe,  in  a 
hand-cart  company.  And  who  were  their  critics?  Men 
and  women  who  had  done  the  same.  There  was  a  peculiar 
sympathy  between  those  who  acted  upon  the  stage,  and 
those  who  comprised  their  audience.  Many  a  man  who 
watched  the  play  at  night,  had  done  the  roughest  of  pio- 
neer work  during  the  day.  Perhaps  he  had  *  grubbed 
sage '  for  an  order  for  a  theater  ticket ;  perhaps  he  had 
toiled  in  the  fields,  irrigated  an  orchard,  or  dug  on  a  water 
ditch.  Perhaps  he  helped  in  building  a  saw-mill,  or  at 
blazing  a  trail  up  to  the  mountain  pines.  It  may  be  that 
he  had  brought  down  a  load  of  logs  and  stood  thereafter, 
for  many  hours  in  rain  or  shine,  in  the  wood  yard  op- 
posite the  Playhouse,  until  he  sold  that  load  of  fire-wood, 
and  the  pay  that  he  received  for  it  might  have  partly  been 
used  for  his  theater  admission  fee.  There  was,  indeed, 
a  strange  bond  existing  between  the  stage  and  the  audito- 
rium. All  were  friends ;  they  would  meet  in  daily  labor, 
they  would  dance  together,  they  might  bear  '  their  testi- 
mony '  in  the  same  meeting  house,  or  listen  to  the  same 
sermon   on   the   coming   Sunday.     Every   actor   was  a 


142       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

'  Brother,'  every  actress  was  a  '  Sister.'  Their  salaries 
were  partly  paid  in  that  which  had  been  received  by  the 
Church  as  rehgious  tithes.  The  man  who  guffawed  at  the 
comedian  might  talk  with  him  on  the  morrow,  whilst  he 
chiseled  granite  on  the  Temple  Square.  Another  who 
watched  the  tragedian  might  visit  him  during  the  coming 
week  in  the  capacity  of  a  '  Teacher.'  Those  who  sympa- 
thized with  the  hero  and  heroine  of  the  play,  might  soon 
meet  them  in  social  intercourse  of  a  *  Surprise  Party,'  and 
they  might  tell  how  they  *  Crossed  the  Plains,'  in  the  same 
*  company.'  All  were  one  big  family,  Thespians  and 
audiences,  performers  and  watchers.  And  more  than  this, 
each  and  every  actor  was  liable  to  be  '  Called  on  a  Mis- 
sion '  to  Europe  or  to  'the  States.'  Again,  each  and  every 
actor  was  liable  to  become  a  Church  official,  and  each  and 
every  one  of  the  actresses  to  become  a  worker  in  the 
'  Relief  Society.'  On  the  morrow,  perhaps,  all  would  lock 
with  the  same  emotions  on  the  great,  watchful  moun- 
tains, and  take  a  like  interest  in  the  planting  of  trees  and 
vines,  or  it  may  be,  the  setting  out  of  a  flower  garden. 
All  were  alike  interested  in  bringing  about  that  miracle  — 
when  the  desert  should  blossom  as  the  rose. 

"  Do  you  think  I  put  it  too  strongly,  my  friend?  Not 
in  the  least.  Certain  of  these  facts  justify  me  in  the  claim 
that  this  Playhouse  and  that  theatrical  organization  were 
unmatched  by  any  other  in  the  world." 

In  his  Recollections  of  a  Player,  James  H.  Stoddart, 
the  comedian,  tells  of  his  coming  to  the  old  theater  to  play 
"  Saints  and  Sinners,"  with  an  amateur  organization.  He 
confirms  the  extravagant  praise  in  one  regard: 

"  We  had  only  two  rehearsals,  and  it  would  have  aston- 
ished many  old  professionals  to  have  seen  the  careful  at- 
tention, earnestness,  and  ability  displayed  by  my  Mormon 
associates." 

Mr.  Leavitt  speaks  in  similar  eulogistic  strain : 

"  My  first  visit  to  Salt  Lake  was  in  1869,  on  my  way 


The  Salt  Lake  Theater 143 

to  California,  and  my  acquaintance  with  the  Salt  Lake 
Theater,  its  people  and  its  association  has  always  been  of 
the  most  pleasant  character.  I  found  its  management 
ever  liberal  and  scrupulous  to  the  last  degree,  fulfilling 
every  obligation  of  their  contract  without  question  or 
demur,  never  seeking  by  any  form  of  evasion  or  advan- 
tage to  deprive  me  or  any  of  my  attractions  of  a  penny 
due  them. 

"  They  invariably  lent  every  assistance  possible  to  make 
the  business  large  and  profitable,  and  in  all  things  were 
eminently  fair  and  just.  I  often  reflect  upon  the  integrity 
of  the  Mormons  as  I  found  them,  and  deplore  the  fact  that 
in  men  of  no  other  faith  have  I  ever  found  it  to  so  full  and 
satisfactory  a  degree. 

"  I  find  peculiar  pleasure  in  referring  specifically  to  one 
old  member  of  the  Salt  Lake  Theater  Company,  bom 
November,  1848,  at  the  foot  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains, 
near  Salt  Lake  City,  in  a  log  hut  in  which  buffalo  hides 
were  the  doors  and  windows.  She  grew  up  as  a  girl  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  and  made  her  debut  on  the  stage  of  the 
Salt  Lake  Theater  on  August  25,  1865,  as  Grace  Otis,  in 
*  The  People's  Lawyer,'  since  which  time  she  has  been 
identified  and  revered  by  all  stage  folk.  This  was  Mrs. 
Asenath  Kiskadden,  now  Mrs.  Annie  Adams.  She  has 
her  replica  in  her  daughter  Maude  Adams,  the  idol  of  the 
English-speaking  stage. 

"  After  playing  at  the  Salt  Lake  Theater  for  nine  years, 
Mrs.  Adams  went  to  Virginia  City  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Uncle  John  Piper,  and  at  the  close  of  her  engage- 
ment there,  she  joined  the  Hooley  Company,  in  'The  Two 
Orphans.'  Later,  she  appeared  at  the  Baldwin  Theater, 
San  Francisco,  under  Thomas  Maguire,  supporting  Barry 
Sullivan,  along  with  James  O'Neil,  Louis  James,  James 
A.  Heme,  David  Belasco,  Louise  Hawthorne,  Annie  Fir- 
min  and  W.  R.  Crane. 

"'Afterward,  at  the  same  house,  she  supported  Lewis 


114       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

Morrison  and  Rose  Wood,  in  *  A  Celebrated  Case,'  and 
her  daughter  Maude  was  engaged  for  the  child  Adrienne. 
Thence,  mother  and  daughter  went  to  Portland,  Oregon, 
and  for  several  years  supported  many  of  the  stars  who 
went  to  the  Coast.  She  came  East  in  1881,  and  sup- 
ported Charlotte  Thompson,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
remained  in  the  East  under  the  management  of  Charles 
Erohman. 

"  She  now  lives  at  Salt  Lake,  appearing  occasionally 
with  a  stock  company  playing  there.  She  makes  her  home 
with  her  mother,  who  is  eighty-four  years  of  age,  and  says 
that  she  hopes  to  continue  her  work  even  unto  the  second 
childhood  period,  '  for  I  am  fond,  very  fond  of  the  pro- 
fession and  its  dear  people,  of  whom,  in  contemplation  of 
forty-five  years  of  association,  I  can  truly  say  I  have  not 
one  unpleasant  thought,  not  one  bitter  memory.'  " 

In  1863  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Selden  Irwin  appeared  and 
delighted  their  audiences  with  comedy  and  romance,  and 
the  following  year,  the  scholarly  George  Pauncefort, 
with  his  co-star,  Mrs.  Florence  Bell,  created  a  sensation 
with  "  The  Romance  of  a  Poor  Young  Man."  Paunce- 
fort and  Lyne  soon  joined  hands  and  together  exercised 
a  tremendous  influence,  not  only  on  their  audiences,  but 
upon  the  young  players  who  were  growing  up  around 
them. 

And  so  the  roll  might  be  called.  Julia  Dean  Hayne  in 
George  B.  Waldron's  company  —  once  the  sweetheart  of 
Joe  Jefferson  —  came  and  stayed  ten  months.  Then  came 
C.  W.  Couldock  and  his  daughter  Eliza,  with  such  plays 
as  "  The  Willow  Copse,"  from  which  "  Hazel  Kirke  " 
was  afterwards  produced.  In  1868  Charlotte  Crampton, 
the  noted  star,  who  played  male  parts,  came,  followed  by 
E.  L.  Davenport  (father  of  the  noted  Fanny),  who 
danced  a  famous  sailor's  hornpipe  with  Sara  Alexander. 
Then  Parepa  Rosa  appeared  and  gave  three  concerts, 
John    McCullough,     with    twenty-three    performances, 


The  Salt  Lake  Theater 145 

James  A.  Heme,  McKee  Rankin,  J,  K.  Emmett,  Milton 
Nobles,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  M.  Bates  with  their  baby, 
afterwards  famous  as  Blanche  Bates. 

Year  after  year  saw  the  roster  of  famous  names  grow, 
until  the  change  in  public  taste  arrived  which  prefers  cheap 
vaudeville,  and  this  almost  emptied  the  galleries  and  at 
the  same  time  rendered  large  risks  inadvisable. 

What,  then,  will  become  of  the  famous  old  theater? 
Once  proudly  dominating  that  portion  of  the  city  where 
it  was  built,  it  is  now  far  overtopped  by  modern  sky- 
scrapers. It  no  longer  looks  what  it  used  to  be.  One 
knows  it  is  old  as  he  stands  and  sees  it  for  the  first  time. 
Forbes-Robertson,  on  the  occasion  of  his  last  visit  to  Salt 
Lake,  pleaded  with  the  people  to  cherish  and  preserve  such 
a  rare  treasure-house  of  memories  —  almost  the  last  thea- 
ter of  its  kind  in  America.  Scores  of  other  artists  have 
echoed  his  desires  in  words  of  their  own.  What  will  the 
future  do  with  it?     Quien  Sabe? 


CHAPTER  IX 

EDUCATION  IN  UTAH 

It  has  been  well  said  that  the  intelligence  and  progress- 
iveness  of  a  community  or  state  may  be  determined  by  its 
interest  in  the  education  of  its  youth.  If  this  be  a  truism, 
then  Utah  can  claim  to  be  in  the  front  rank  of  the  intelli- 
gent and  progressive.  Few  states  have  formulated  so 
thorough  and  advanced  an  educational  program,  which  the 
officials  are  conscientiously  seeking  to  carry  out. 

And  yet  it  used  to  be  the  fashion  to  revile  Utah  as  not 
interested  in  education.  Brigham  Young  was  again  and 
again  charged  with  deliberately  seeking  to  keep  his  peo- 
ple in  ignorance.  Indeed,  this  was  one  of  the  stock  arg- 
uments of  those  who  attacked  Mormonism  in  its  earlier 
years.  This  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  before  the  exodus 
from  Nauvoo  a  great  university  was  planned,  and  nothing 
but  the  fierce  persecution  of  the  Church  and  the  driving- 
out  of  the  Mormons  prevented  its  erection,  and  the  fur- 
ther fact  that  the  very  first  winter  the  Latter-day  Saints 
spent  in  Salt  Lake  Valley  saw  the  opening  of  a  school. 
In  1850  the  legislature  incorporated  the  University  of 
Deseret,  which  has  since  developed  into  the  magnificent 
modern  institution,  the  University  of  Utah.  The  Mor- 
mons, like  the  Catholics,  Methodists,  and  all  other  re- 
ligious bodies,  believe  in  their  own  Church  schools,  but 
they  also  believe  in  and  sustain  the  public  schools  as  a 
matter  of  general  good  policy  and  helpfulness  to  the  state. 
Hence  they  have  their  Latter-day  Saints  University  at 
Salt  Lake  City,  the  Brigham  Young  University  at  Provo, 

146 


STATE    AGR1CL'LTUR.\L    COLLEGE,    LUGA^N. 


Education  in  Utah  147 

the  Brigham  Young  College  at  Logan,  the  Snow  Academy 
at  Ephraim,  the  Academy  of  St.  George,  and  others. 
These  are  all  of  secondary  or  college  grade,  there  being  no 
attempt  on  the  part  of  the  Church  to  provide  elementary 
education,  and  thus  duplicate  the  work  of  the  public 
schools.  Yet,  as  is  the  avowed  intention  of  all  churches, 
the  religious  leaders  did  not  wish  to  ignore  what  they 
regard  as  the  most  important  portion  of  a  child's  educa- 
tion, viz.,  the  religious.  Hence  a  method  of  co-operation 
has  sprung  up  between  the  high  schools  and  the  Church, 
which  meets  the  needs  of  the  Mormon  leaders.  A  semi- 
nary is  erected  by  the  Church  as  near  to  the  high  school  as 
possible  and  provided  with  college-trained  teachers.  When 
not  enagaged  in  their  studies  in  the  high  school,  doubtless 
at  set  periods,  the  pupils  go  to  the  seminary,  where  they 
are  given  regular  courses  in  the  Bible,  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, Church  history  and  doctrine,  etc.  There  are  nine- 
teen of  these  seminaries  now  in  existence,  with  an  enroll- 
ment of  over  3,000  students. 

But  it  is  not  so  much  of  Church  schools  and  education 
that  this  chapter  is  to  treat.  In  1919,  the  legislature  of 
Utah  so  amended  and  enlarged  its  educational  laws  that 
they  were  entirely  rewritten.  To  make  this  legislation 
effective  an  "  Educational  Drive  "  was  held  in  practically 
every  community  in  the  state.  A  speakers'  organization 
was  effected,  composed  of  over  100  men  and  women,  con- 
spicuous for  their  abilities  and  public  services.  These 
went  out  in  teams  to  every  district  in  the  state,  where  local 
committees  met  them,  banquets  were  given,  great  dem- 
onstrations in  the  form  of  parades  and  artistic  pageants, 
etc.,  opened  the  local  campaign.  Press,  pulpit  and  poster 
alike  aided  in  the  campaign,  and  a  most  effective  pamphlet, 
entitled  "  Better  Public  School  Education  in  Utah,"  was 
taken  by  the  school  children  to  every  home  in  the  state. 
This  brochure  contains,  beside  much  excellent  argument 
and  eloquent  pleas  for  fuller  education,   facts  stated  in 


148       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

poster  form,  easily  read  and  eye-compelling.    Here  is  one 


UTAH'S    SLOGAN 

Better?  Schools  for 
Our  Boys  and  Our  Girls 

Better  Pay  for  Teachers 

Better  Service  from  Teachers 

If  we  are  to  accomplish  anything 
worth  while  the  public  must 

Talk  about  it 

Write  about  it 

Fight  for  it 

Until  they  get  it 


Another  page  shows  strikingly  Utah's  lead  in  girls  and 
boys,  being  29  to  each  100  of  the  population  as  compared 
with  25  in  Idaho,  24,  23,  22,  in  Arizona,  Colorado  and 
Washington,  and  19  in  California.  Still  another  shows 
that  while  Utah  produces  $155,000,000  annually  in  its 
manufactures,  $86,000,000  in  mining,  $22,000,000  for 
hay,  $1 1,000,000  in  sugar  beets,  and  $8,000,000  in  wheat, 
it  spends  only  $5,400,000  in  education,  concluding  with 
the  forceful  line  in  black  letters :  WE  MUST  INVEST 
MORE  IN  EDUCATION. 

In  addition  the  new  laws  provide  for  part-time  educa- 
tion of  boys  and  girls  who,  through  economic  necessity, 
are  compelled  to  go  to  work  before  their  school  age  is 
past.  Every  child  is  compelled  to  register  once  a  year,  so 
that  tabs  can  be  kept  on  him.  He  must  be  either  at  school 
or  at  work  until  he  is  eighteen  years  old.  Every  child, 
too,  is  urged  to  participate  in  some  out-of-school  organiz- 
ation, such  as  boy  scouts,  camp-fire  girls,  Mutual  Im- 
provement Associations,  Sunday  Schools,  glee  clubs, 
town  bands,  orchestras,   choirs,  and  thrift  clubs.     The 


Education  in  Utah 149 

youth  who  avail  themselves  of  the  part-time  education 
gladly  w^elcome  the  chance  to  pursue  the  studies  that  indus- 
trial conditions  and  present  day  living  cut  them  off  from 
taking  in  the  regular  whole-time  schools.  They  are  boys 
and  girls  of  a  practical  turn  of  mind.  They  know  well  the 
subjects  that  will  help  them  in  their  deficiencies  and  what 
will  aid  them  in  the  occupations  they  have  entered  as 
wage-earners.  They  throng  the  classes  in  the  common 
branches;  they  get  the  basal  principles  of  citizenship  and 
health ;  they  have  courses  in  machine  shop,  electrical  prac- 
tice, auto  repair,  typewriting,  sewing,  cooking,  dress- 
making and  nursing. 

Another  feature  is  health  education,  many  phases  of 
which  are  admirable,  such  as  the  inculcation  of  ideas  of 
cleanliness,  sanitation,  correct  heating  and  lighting,  etc., 
but  there  is  danger  here  of  medical  despotism  that  never 
benefits  and  always  injures. 

Those  features  of  the  law,  however,  that  deal  with 
Civics,  Americanization  and  Vocational  Training  are 
above  criticism. 

The  new  course  in  civics  requires  participation  by  each 
child  in  the  activities  of  the  school,  home  and  community. 

Every  child  must  participate  in  the  government  of  the 
school.  He  must  help  formulate  the  laws  he  is  expected 
to  obey  and  be  given  responsibility  for  good  conduct  in 
the  school,  on  the  grounds,  and  in  the  community. 

He  must  feel  that  he  is  a  part  of  everything  and  every- 
thing is  a  part  of  him. 

He  must  participate  in  the  civic  affairs  and  organiza- 
tions of  his  community  and  be  held  to  some  worthy  civic 
achievement,  such  as  beautifying  his  home,  assisting  in 
a  clean-up  campaign,  or  helping  to  put  over  some  civic 
improvement  in  his  town. 

He  must  possess  a  civic  conscience  and  reach  a  high 
standard  of  civic  attainments  before  promotion  from  his 
grade  or  graduation  from  high  school. 


150       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

The  schools  must  provide  the  universal  intelligence 
required  for  good  citizenship. 

In  the  campaign  for  Americanization  Utah  was  urged 
by  the  fact  that  of  its  population  90,000  are  foreign-born, 
and  of  these  30,000  are  unable  to  speak  English.  Many 
of  these  work  in  the  mines  and  the  smelters.  The  educa- 
tors realize  that  foreign  labor  is  essential  to  Utah's  indus- 
tries. None  of  the  major  industries  could  continue  if 
foreign  labor  were  removed. 

The  intelligence  and  patriotism  of  the  foreigner  is  the 
measure  of  the  industrial  efficiency  of  the  state.  Men 
are  valuable  to  society  in  proportion  as  they  are  willing 
to  work  in  harmony  with  other  men.  It  is  the  business 
of  the  state  to  make  possible  this  harmony.  A  common 
language  and  common  ideals  of  government  are  the  basis 
of  cooperation  and  citizenship. 

The  aims  of  the  Americanization  Law  of  Utah  are : 

1.  To  teach  the  American  language. 

2.  To  give  the  foreigner  a  basic  idea  of  democracy. 

3.  To  promote  confidence  and  hope  as  a  ground  for 
cooperation. 

4.  To  counteract  un-American  propaganda. 

No  state  can  be  greater  than  its  people.  America  was 
a  great  land  when  Columbus  discovered  it.  Americans 
make  it  a  great  nation.  It  is  therefore  not  only  good 
business,  but  a  sacred  obligation  of  the  state  to  take  care 
of  all  of  its  people. 

The  same  practical  aims  direct  Vocational  Education. 
A  majority  of  the  people  of  Utah  are  engaged  in  voca- 
tional activities.  It  therefore  becomes  the  duty  of  the 
schools  to  aid  this  vast  body  of  workers.  To  this  end 
practical  courses  are  offered  in  all  the  high  schools  and 
colleges  in  Homemaking,  Agriculture,  Business  Training, 
all  the  trades  and  industries  and  mining.  The  aim  of  the 
teacher  is  to  show  the  dignity  of  labor,  to  prove  that  in- 
telligence is  the  basis  of  efficiency,  that  joy  comes  from 


Education  in  Utah 151 

work  well  done,  that  life  is  labor,  and  to  live  is  to  serve. 

Another  splendid  feature  is  the  use  of  natural  objects, 
out-of-doors,  where  possible,  rather  than  books.  Thou- 
sands of  things  can  better  be  taught  the  child  by  personal 
contact  than  by  reading.  Garden  plots  are  provided, 
nature  studies  of  every  kind  encouraged  and  the  children 
urged  to  all  good  initiative  on  their  own  behalf,  instead 
of  being  fettered  to  a  few  pages  in  a  book,  which  they 
must  learn  parrot-like  whether  their  understanding  is 
engaged  or  not. 

Indeed  a  strong  point  is  made  from  the  lowest  grade 
even  to  the  University  that  no  man  or  woman  is  educated 
who  is  merely  a  theorist,  and  has  no  practical,  applicable 
knowledge  of  a  subject.  The  deeply  read  student  who 
"  knows  a  lot  but  can't  do  nothin',''  is  as  much  abhorred  as 
the  unread,  narrow,  limited  slave  to  his  tools,  who  "  works 
a  lot  but  don't  know  nothin'."  Both  must  receive  a  larger, 
wider  outlook  and  a  more  practical  vision. 

To  interest  the  pupil  the  same  things  are  not  taught 
year  after  year.  New  subjects  are  introduced  every  year 
for  four  years,  and  then  brought  up  again.  And  every 
subject  is  vitalized  and  related  to  actual  life  as  far  as  pos- 
sible. From  the  fifth  grade  through  the  eighth,  in  every 
school,  attention  is  intensified  in  making  things,  or  in 
studying  growing  things,  or  live  things,  or  in  studying 
social  and  civic  life.  Thus  vitalizing  and  rotating  each 
subject,  every  child  is  interested  and  is  ready  to  "  fit  in  " 
to  active  life  when  the  school  period  ends. 

Thus  Utah  is  determined  to  achieve  competent  citizen- 
ship for  its  children.  It  is  a  high  ideal,  one  worthy  a  great 
state,  and  as  it  is  now  working  out,  will  soon  put  Utah, 
educationally,  first  in  the  states  of  the  Union. 

Another  thing  I  wish  personally  strongly  to  commend. 
No  public  school  teacher  who  uses  tobacco  in  any  way  is 
allowed  to  hold  his  position  if  the  fact  is  known,  and  the 
whole  force  of  the  decent  element  in  the  state,  both  Mor- 


152       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

mon  and  Gentile,  is  now  devoted  to  a  campaign  against  the 
use  of  the  narcotic  weed.  Here  is  a  part  of  the  printed 
campaign  against  tobacco: 

"  Tobacco  is  a  nerve  depressant,  and  thus  strikes  a  tell- 
ing blow  at  the  user's  ambition,  without  which  no  one  can 
hope  to  succeed. 

"  Boys  and  young  men  who  use  tobacco  are  almost  in- 
variably behind  in  their  school  work. 

"  Tobacco  strikes  directly  at  the  heart,  lungs,  and  cir- 
culation, resulting  in  under-nutrition  and  impaired  physi- 
cal development. 

"  The  tobacco  habit  is  invariably  acquired  without  the 
knowledge  or  consent  of  parents,  and  thus  leads  directly  to 
the  practice  of  deception. 

"  The  habit  takes  boys  away  from  their  homes  and  out 
into  undesirable  places  where  the  pollution  of  morals 
often  follow. 

"  Nearly  all  of  the  boys  and  young  men  who  are  sent 
to  juvenile  courts  and  detention  homes  are  users  of 
tobacco. 

"  Successful  business  men  who  are  now  using  tobacco 
almost  invariably  acquired  the  habit  after  reaching  matu- 
rity, and  are  now  succeeding  in  spite  of  the  habit  and  not 
because  of  it. 

"  No  young  man  going  through  life  with  reduced  effi- 
ciency can  hope  to  succeed  along  with  those  who  are  per- 
fectly normal. 

"  And,  let  it  be  recalled,  successes  and  failures  in  life  are 
commonly  determined  upon  very  narrow  margins.  A 
man  who  can  make  a  mouse  trap  or  an  ocean  liner  even 
slightly  better  than  his  competitors  will  succeed  while 
others  fail. 

"  The  use  of  tobacco,  therefore,  is  a  handicap  to  suc- 
cess in  life.  It  impairs  every  activity  of  the  human  organ- 
ism and  results  frequently  in  mental  and  moral  degeneracy. 

"  What  is  the  duty  of  the  schools  in  this  particular? 


Education  in  Utah  153 

"  The  State  Board  of  Education  has  decided  that  free- 
dom from  the  use  of  narcotics  shall  be  a  requirement  for 
graduation  from  high  school. 

"  Where  do  yon  stand  on  the  question?  " 

Note  well  that  requirement  for  graduation. 

Thus,  in  swift  outline,  I  have  given  an  idea  of  Utah's 
educational  program.  Did  space  permit  it  would  be  a 
pleasure  to  reproduce  photographs  of  many  of  the  fine 
public  school  buildings  of  Salt  Lake  City  and  elsewhere 
in  the  state. 

The  University  of  Utah  deserves  especial  mention.  It 
is  located  upon  a  commanding  site  in  Salt  Lake  City,  over- 
looking the  city,  the  great  lake  and  the  valley,  with  the 
towering  ranges  of  surrounding  mountains.  No  state  uni- 
versity in  the  country  has  a  more  glorious  outlook,  and 
well  do  the  majestic  and  stately  buildings  deserve  so  dom- 
inating a  location.  The  buildings  are  all  modern  and 
equipped  with  all  the  latest  devices  for  the  furtherance  of 
their  special  purposes  that  experience  and  ingenuity  have 
been  able  to  devise.  Professionally  it  is  making  its  own 
way,  in  forceful  western  fashion.  Its  last  president  was 
a  western  man,  Dr.  John  A.  Widtsoe,  and  an  expert  on 
dry  farming,  as  well  as  proven  executive  of  power.*  His 
faculty  contains  many  young  western  men,  in  the  prime 
of  life,  dominated  by  the  western  spirit,  controlled  by  no 
conventionalities  in  education,  but  eager  for  the  newest, 
the  best,  the  most  natural.  Most  of  them  are  out-of-door 
men,  making  their  own  investigations  and  compelling 
their  students  to  read  the  variedly  fascinating  pages  of 
the  book  of  nature,  rather  than  confine  themselves  to 
printed  words.  It  is  a  joy  to  meet  them  either  in  the  lec- 
ture-room or  in  the  forests,  among  the  wild  flowers,  in  the 
canyons  among  the  ruins  of  the  civilization  of  the  past,  or 
studying  the  stratigraphy  or  paleontology  of  the  strata  of 

*As  stated  earlier.  Dr.  Widtsoe  resigned  the  presidency  just  as  this  book  went  to 
press.    His  successor  was  not  yet  appointed. 


154      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

the  earth's  crust.  Every  department  of  human  education 
is  handled,  and  in  accordance  with  the  most  approved 
modern  methods,  while  new  methods  are  being  tried  and 
personal  initiative  encouraged.  The  result  is  an  institu- 
tion that  is  not  only  an  honor  to  Utah,  but  to  the  whole 
West,  a  school  that  is  growing  in  influence  and  power  and 
that  is  having  a  large  part  in  shaping  the  future  destinies 
of  the  state. 

It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  besides  the  public  schools 
and  the  University,  and  the  various  Mormon  academies 
and  colleges,  there  are  church  schools  throughout  the  state 
conducted  by  Catholics,  Episcopalians,  Methodists,  Pres- 
byterians and  Congregationalists.  All  these  are  doing  the 
educational  work  required  of  them. 

Thus  is  Utah  caring  for  the  instruction  of  its  young. 
Whatever  may  have  been  the  condition  of  education  in  the 
earlier  years,  and  the  wrong  impressions  the  outside 
world  gained  about  it,  there  can  be  no  question  of  Utah's 
progressiveness  today,  for  United  States  Commissioner 
of  Education  Claxton  declares  that  there  is  less  illiteracy 
in  Utah  now,  than  in  any  other  state  in  the  Union. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  GEOLOGY  OF  UTAH 

I  much  doubt  whether,  all  things  being  considered,  '^ 
there  is  another  state  in  the  Union  that,  geologically,  can 
be  compared  in  interest  with  Utah.  Not  even  California, 
with  its  great  mountaia  ranges,  its  Yosemite,  King's  River 
Canyon,  Lake  Tahoe  region,  Colorado  Desert,  Coast  line 
and  Channel  Islands;  not  even  Arizona  with  its  Grand 
Canyon,  Mogollon  Buttes,  Sunset  Crater,  Painted  Desert, 
White  Mountains  and  Coconino  Plateau  can  surpass  it  — 
though,  of  course,  its  interests  are  of  a  different  char- 
acter, its  geological  history  strongly  individualistic. 

A  score  of  travelled,  literary  or  geological  masters,  in- 
cluding Bonneville,  Fremont,  Stansbury,  Beckwith,  Blake, 
Engelmann,  Whitney,  Hayden,  Bradley,  Poole,  Clarence 
King,  Hague,  Emmons,  Howell,  Gilbert,  Peale,  Russell, 
Powell,  Dutton,  and  others  have  written  more  or  less 
about  the  geological  features  of  the  Great  Basin.  This 
singularly  appropriate  name  was  first  given  to  it  by  Fre- 
mont. Yet  how  few  there  are  who  realize  the  vastness 
of  this  great  inland  system  of  drainage  that  has  no  equal 
on  the  American  continent  and  few  superiors  in  the 
world.  Extending  from  the  Wasatch  and  Uinta  ranges 
on  the  east,  reaching  across  northern  Nevada  and  striking 
north-west  into  northern  Oregon,  sweeping  around  and 
south  through  Modoc  county,  California,  taking  in  the 
eastern  slopes  of  the  Warner  Spur  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas, 
and  then  clear  down  the  whole  line  of  the  Sierras  into  the 
peninsula  of  Lower  California  and  up  again,  by  a  winding 

155 


■^  rX^- 


156       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

line  which  includes  the  Colorado  Desert  of  southern  Cali- 
fornia and  a  part  of  southern  Nevada  to  the  southern  part 
of  Utah.  Think  of  a  watershed  reaching  from  iii°  to 
about  121°  and  rising  to  the  44°  parallel  and  down  as  far 
as  the  32°.  Its  general  form  is  rudely  triangular,  with 
the  most  acute  angle  southward.  The  extreme  length  in  a 
direction  somewhat  west  of  north  and  east  of  south  is 
about  880  miles,  the  extreme  breadth  from  east  to  west, 
in  latitude  40°  30',  is  572  miles,  and  the  total  area  is 
approximately  210,000  square  miles. 

Within  this  area,  of  course,  is  included  much  that  does 
not  come  within  the  scope  of  this  chapter,  but  even  though 
limited  to  the  confines  of  the  one  State  of  Utah,  there  are 
special  geological  features  enough  to  occupy  any  one  mind 
for  a  long  and  laborious  lifetime. 

In  the  chapter  on  the  Literature  of  Utah  I  have  briefly 
sketched  several  scientific  monographs,  to  which  the 
reader  interested  in  geology  is  referred.  These  mono- 
graphs give  proof  of  Utah's  geological  supremacy  of  inter- 
est. Indeed,  the  moment  one  stands  in  any  commanding 
position  overlooking  Salt  Lake  City  and  the  valley  of  the 
lake,  his  curiosity  is  profoundly  aroused. 

First  of  all  is  the  lake  and  its  striking  terraces.  These 
are  but  a  part  of  the  Great  Basin,  a  geological  wonderland 
in  itself.  In  the  third  volume  of  the  Report  of  the 
Wheeler  Surveys,  G.  K.  Gilbert  discusses  the  unusual  and 
remarkable  features  of  the  Great  Basin  Ranges  found  in 
Utah  and  elsewhere,  and  the  Colorado  Plateau  system, 
together  \\\i\\  the  peculiar  geology  found  in  the  border 
land  between  the  ranges  and  the  plateaus.  He  gives  us 
new  ideas  as  to  the  depth  of  the  detritus  washed  down 
from  the  adjacent  mountains  to  form  the  desert,  the 
greatest  dei)ression  of  which  is  now  occupied  by  the 
Great  Salt  Lake. 

Many  years  later,  Gilbert  issued  another  monograph, 
entitled  Lake  Bonneville,  dealing  more  particularly  with 


e 


02 
■/I 

z 


O 


The  Geology  of  Utah  157 

the  prehistoric  lake,  its  history  and  the  causes  of  its  dis- 
appearance. 

Now  let  the  visitor  look  across  the  valley  to  the  Oquirrh 
range,  and  the  scars  made  by  the  copper  mines  in  Bing- 
ham Canyon.  For  knowledge  pertaining  to  these,  with  a 
full  account  of  the  geological  conditions  involved,  let  him 
read  The  Ore  Deposits  of  Utah,  which  also  gives  a  won- 
derful cursory  survey  of  all  the  known  ore  bodies  of 
the  state. 

When  the  United  States  geologists  first  began  to 
explore  this  western  country  they  were  profoundly 
impressed  by  the  remarkable  scenery  of  the  Uinta  range. 
One  of  them  wrote : 

"  The  scenery  of  this  elevated  region  is  singularly  wild 
and  picturesque,  both  in  form  and  coloring.  In  the  higher 
portions  of  the  range  where  the  forest  growth  is 
extremely  scanty  the  effect  is  that  of  desolate  grandeur; 
but  in  the  lower  basin-like  valleys,  which  support  a  heavy 
growth  of  coniferous  trees,  the  view  of  one  of  these 
mountain  lakes,  with  its  deep  green  water  and  fringe  of 
meadow  land,  set  in  the  somber  frame  of  pine  forests,  the 
whole  inclosed  by  high  walls  of  reddish  purple  rock  whose 
bedding  (stratification)  gives  almost  the  appearance  of  a 
pile  of  Cyclopean  masonry,  forms  a  picture  of  rare 
beauty,"* 

These  same  geologists  remarked  upon  the  many  evi- 
dences of  glaciation  found  in  this  range,  and  in  1876, 
Major  J.  W.  Powell,  Director  of  the  United  States  Geo- 
logical Survey,  published  his  interesting  monograph  on 
the  Uinta  Mountains.  It  was  while  making  the  studies 
for  this  report  that  he  determined  that  an  exhaustive 
examination  should  at  some  time  be  made  by  an  expert 
into  the  history  of  the  glaciers  which  had  so  materially 
shaped  this  interesting  range.  Accordingly  Wallace  W. 
Atwood  was  appointed  to  the  work,  and  1909  his  inter- 

•Geol.  Explor.,  40th  Par.,  Vcd.  2,  p.  194. 


158       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

esting  and  instructive  monograph,  Glaciation  of  the  Uinta 
and  Wasatch  Mountains,  was  published.  The  following 
quotations  are  all  from  this  work : 

"  The  oldest  formation  exposed  in  the  region  studied  is 
the  pre-Cambrian  Ouartzite.  This  formation  constitutes 
the  main  body  of  the  range  and  is  exposed  throughout 
the  central  plateau  portion." 

Above  this  formation  are  found  in  greater  or  lesser 
thickness  of  strata  Cambrian  shales,  Ordovician  quartz- 
ite,  Mississippi  quartzites  and  the  Pennsylvanian  series. 
The  following  "  Permo-Carboniferous  "  beds  appear  as 
narrow,  discontinuous  belts  in  the  foothills  of  the  range. 
Then  come  the  Triassic,  the  600  to  800  feet  thickness  of 
the  Jurassic  limestones,  followed  by  Cretaceous,  consist- 
ing of  over  10,000  feet  of  conglomerates,  sandstones  and 
shales. 

"  Near  the  close  of  Cretaceous  time  a  powerful  oro- 
graphic movement  disturbed  the  formation  in  the  region. 
The  great  Uinta  anticline  began  to  rise.  As  the  elevation 
increased  the  forces  of  degradation  became  more  power- 
ful, and  in  the  long  period  of  erosion  that  ensued  these 
forces  greatly  reduced  the  level  of  the  range.  Thousands 
of  feet  of  rock  strata  were  removed  and  deposited  over 
the  lower  countries  to  the  north  and  south.  On  the  flanks 
of  the  mountains  broad  areas  of  inclined  strata  were  trun- 
cated and  probably  the  entire  range  was  brought  to  the 
peneplain  stage." 

Upon  the  truncated  strata  rest  the  Tertiary  formations, 
consisting  of  sandstones,  shales  and  conglomerates  of 
loose  texture,  and  in  places  with  the  materials  not 
cemented. 

All  these  formations  have  contributed  in  varying 
amounts  to  the  glacial  drift  of  the  region.  The  pre- 
Cambrian  is  the  chief  contributor  to  the  drift. 

"  All  the  great  canyons  of  the  Uintas  head  near  the 
crest  of  the  range  and  descend  approximately  to  the  north 


A  Glacial  Lake  in  the  Wasatch  Range 

From  a  pawttnn  by  H.  L.  A:  Culmer.    In  the  authors 
private  collection 


The  Geolosr^'-  of  Utah  150 


'£>J 


or  to  the  south.  Since  the  axis  of  the  range  is  nearer  the 
north  than  the  south  margin,  the  canyons  on  the  north 
slope  are  shorter  than  those  on  the  south  slope.  All  of  the 
larger  canyons  have  the  characteristic  U-shaped  form  due 
to  glaciation.  Their  upper  portions  have  been  well  cleaned 
out  by  the  ice,  but  their  middle  and  lower  portions  con- 
tain heavy  morainic  deposits." 

It  is  interesting  to  study  the  differences  in  the  streams 
which  flow  respectively  north  and  south  of  the  range. 

"  Evidences  of  at  least  two  epochs  of  glaciation  appear 
in  the  region  of  these  two  epochs;  the  earlier  was  presum- 
ably the  longer,  for  the  Ice  of  that  epoch  was  thicker  and 
extended  farther  down  the  canyons  than  the  ice  of  the 
later  epoch.  The  lower  limits  to  which  the  ice  descended 
on  the  north  slope  in  the  earlier  and  later  epochs  are 
approximately  8,000  and  8,400  feet  respectively.  On 
the  south  slope  the  lower  limits  during  the  earlier  and 
later  epochs  are  approximately  7,000,  and  8,000  feet 
respectively." 

The  report  then  goes  on  to  discuss  in  detail  the  phe- 
nomena, presented  in  the  various  canyons  of  the  north 
slope,  as  Swifts,  east  fork  of  Swifts,  south  fork  of  Weber 
River,  Smith  and  Morehouse,  the  Weber  Canyon  system. 
Bear  River  system,  Hayden  Fork,  Stillwater  Fork,  Blacks 
Fork,  Smith  Fork,  Henrys  Fork,  west  and  middle  forks 
of  Beaver  Creek,  Burnt  Fork,  west  and  east  forks  of 
Sheep  Creek  and  Beaver  Creek  system,  and  on  the  south 
slope  including  Ashley  Fork,  Dry  Creek,  White  Rocks, 
Uinta,  above  which  rises  Mt.  Emmons,  13,428  feet.  Lake 
Fork,  Rock  Creek,  Duchesne,  Soapstone,  Provo,  Boulder 
Creek  and  Shingle  Creek. 

Certain  neve  fields  were  located,  and  interesting  revela- 
tions noted  of  landslides. 

In  the  Wasatch  range,  within  an  hour  or  two's  ride  of 
Salt  Lake  City  most  interesting  evidences  of  glaciation 
can  also  be  studied  in  Little  and  Big  Cottonwood  Can- 


160      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

yons,  and  as  these  canyons  are  twelve  and  fifteen  miles 
long,  respectively,  they  afford  the  student  many  proofs  of 
glacial  action. 

In  such  ranges  as  the  Uintas  and  the  Wasatch  another 
lesson  is  taught  with  great  clearness.  It  is  that  mountain 
ranges  are  not  all  formed  by  the  strains  set  up  by  the 
shrinking  of  the  earth's  crust  or  envelope  by  the  secular 
cooling  and  shrinking  of  its  interior.  The  plicated  struc- 
tures of  the  mountains  of  Europe  and  the  Eastern  United 
States  were  such  as  to  lead  naturally  to  such  a  conclusion, 
as  were  also  the  indications  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  and 
other  Pacific  Coast  ranges,  but  when  the  geologists  went 
into  Utah,  Colorado,  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  they 
found  an  entirely  different  process  had  been  at  work. 
This  is  luminously  discussed  by  Captain  Button  in  his 
monograph  on  Mount  Taylor  and  the  Znni  Plateau,  else- 
where referred  to.  In  this  he  shows  that  while  the  moun- 
tains of  these  interior  regions  disclose  whatever  they  have 
to  tell  of  physical  geology  with  marvelous  clearness  and 
emphasis,  there  is  no  teaching  more  clear  or  more 
emphatic  than  the  absence  of  plicating  forces  from  among 
the  agencies  which  have  built  its  magnificent  ranges  and 
lifted  up  its  great  plateaus.  The  country  at  large  shows  no 
trace  of  a  widespread,  universal,  horizontal  compression 
such  as  is  found  in  the  regions  of  uplifted  plicated  moun- 
tain structures.  On  the  contrary,  there  is  an  absence  of 
all  such  stress,  and  proof  that  these  mountains  have  been 
raised  by  vertical  forces  acting  beneath  them.  What 
these  forces  are  is,  as  yet,  unknown. 

Another  interesting  geological  feature  which  was  first 
called  to  the  attention  of  world  geologists  in  Utah  is 
found  in  the  peculiar  formation  known  as  the  San  Rafael 
Swell.  This  is  located  in  Emery  County  and  has  formed 
the  ground  work  for  scores  of  studies  of  somewhat  sim- 
ilar conditions  found  elsewhere.  Captain  Button  thus 
gives  a  general  description  of  it : 


The  Geology  of  Utah  IGl 

"If  we  ascend  the  (Wasatch)  plateau  and  ride  east- 
ward a  very  few  miles,  there  suddenly  breaks  upon  the 
view  a  vast  and  impressive  panorama.  From  an  altitude 
of  more  than  ii,ooo  feet  the  eye  can  sweep  a  semicircle 
with  a  radius  of  more  than  seventy  miles  and  reach  far 
out  into  the  heart  of  the  Plateau  country.  We  stand  upon 
strata  of  Lower  Tertiary  age,  and  beneath  our  feet  is  a 
precipice  leaping  down  across  the  level  edges  of  the  beds 
upon  a  terrace  1,200  feet  below.  The  cliff  on  which  we 
stand  stretches  far  northward  into  the  hazy  distance, 
gradually  swinging  eastward  and  then  southward  through 
a  course  of  more  than  a  hundred  miles,  and  vanishing 
below  the  horizon.  It  describes,  as  we  well  know,  a  rude 
semicircle,  around  a  center  about  forty  miles  east  of  our 
standpoint.  At  the  foot  of  this  cliif  is  a  terrace  of  greatly 
varying  width,  rarely  less  than  five  miles,  consisting  of 
upper  Cretaceous  beds  nearly  but  not  quite  horizontal. 
They  incline  upwards  towards  the  east  at  angles  rarely  so 
great  as  3°,  and  are  soon  cut  off  by  a  second  cliff  plunging 
down  1,800  feet  upon  middle  Cretaceous  beds.  This  sec- 
ond cliff  describes  a  semicircle  like  the  first,  but  smaller 
and  concentric  with  it.  From  its  foot  the  strata  still  rise 
gently  towards  the  east'  through  a  distance  of  about  ten 
miles,  and  are  cut  off  as  before  by  a  third  series  of  cliffs 
concentric  with  the  first  and  second.  For  the  fourth  and 
fifth  time  this  process  is  repeated.  In  the  center  of  these 
girdling  walls  is  an  elliptical  area  about  forty  miles  long 
and  twelve  to  twenty  miles  broad,  completely  surrounded 
by  mural  escarpments  more  than  a  thousand  feet  high. 
This  central  spot  is  called  the  San  Rafael  Swell,  and  it  is 
full  of  interest  and  suggestion  to  the  geologist." 

Captain  Button  then  goes  on  to  show  that  the  chief 
lesson  here  taught  is  the  stupendous  fact  that : 

"  A  body  of  strata  more  than  10,000  feet  thick  and 
more  than  500  square  miles  in  area  have  been  swept  off 
from  the  surface  of  the  swell;  that  nearly  9,000  feet  have 


162       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

been  removed  from  a  much  larger  annual  space  around  it ; 
7,ocx)  feet 'from  a  still  larger  and  remoter  space ;  and  so  on 
with  expanding  annuli,  from  which  successively  decreas- 
ing amounts  have  been  denuded."* 

One  of  the  least  known  and  yet  geologically  wonderful 
portions  of  Utah,  are  the  Henry  Mountains,  located  in  a 
rude  and  imperfect  triangle,  with  the  Colorado  River  as 
the  base,  the  Fremont  (or  the  Dirty  Devil)  River  to  the 
northeast  and  the  Escalante  to  the  southwest.  They 
were  named  by  Major  J.  W.  Powell,  Director  of  the 
United  States  Geological  Survey,  after  Professor  Joseph 
Henry,  the  world-famed  physicist  and  secretary  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institution,  At  the  time  of  their  discovery 
and  naming  by  Powell  they  were  in  the  center  of  the 
largest  unexplored  district  within  the  United  States,  —  a 
district  which  by  its  peculiar  ruggedness  and  inaccessi- 
bility had  turned  aside  all  previous  travelers.  It  is  still 
little  known  save  to  the  explorer  and  geologist.  It  is  a 
region  of  wild  fascination,  of  marvelous  geological  for- 
mation and  peculiar  revelation.  Page  after  page  of  the 
stone  book  of  Creation  is  here  opened  wide  for  the  stu- 
dent to  read,  and  this,  at  present,  seems  to  be  its  chief  use 
to  man  —  this,  and  to  afiford  to  sight-seers  an  opportun- 
ity to  gaze  upon  panoramas  of  unequalled  splendor  of 
color,  individuality  of  form,  and  strange  inutility  in  view 
of  man's  physical  requirements. 

For  the  same  general  causes  that  have  rendered  the 
region  so  difficult  of  access  and  passage  have  made  it  a 
desert,  with  little  present  economic  value.  The  physical 
conditions  of  elevation  and  aridity  which  have  caused  it  to 
be  so  deeply  carved  in  canyons,  have  prevented  the  streams 
with  which  it  is  scantly  watered  from  being  bordered  by 
tracts  of  land  which  can  be  irrigated;  and  agriculture 
without  irrigation  being  in  that  climate  an  impossibility, 
there  is  nothing  to  attract  the  farmer.     There  are  prac- 

•Second  Annual  Report  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  pp.  54-57. 


The  Geology  of  Utah 163 

tically  no  valuable  minerals  in  the  mountains,  hence  there 
is  no  inducement  to  the  miner.  While  there  is  timber 
upon  the  slopes  and  coal  near  at  hand,  neither  are  near 
enough  to  transportation  facilities  to  render  them  valu- 
able. Only  for  grazing  have  they  any  money  value,  hence 
few  save  cowboys  and  sheep-herders  know  anything  of 
the  region. 

Professor  G.  K.  Gilbert  thus  describes  these  mountains : 
"  The  Henry  Mountains  are  not  a  range,  and  have  no 
trend;  they  are  simply  a  group  of  five  individual  moun- 
tains, separated  by  low  passes  and  arranged  without  dis- 
cernible system.  The  highest  rise  about  5,000  feet  above 
the  plateau  at  their  base  and  11,000  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  ocean.  Projecting  so  far  above  the  surface  of  the 
desert,  they  act  as  local  condensers  of  moisture,  and 
receive  a  comparatively  generous  supply  of  rain.  Springs 
abound  upon  their  flanks,  and  their  upper  slopes  are 
clothed  with  a  luxuriant  herbage  and  with  groves  of  tim- 
ber. The  smaller  mountains  and  the  foot-hills  of  the 
larger  are  less  generously  watered  and  but  scantly  clothed 
with  vegetation.  Their  extent  is  small.  From  Ellen 
Peak  to  Mount  Ellsworth,  the  two  summits  which  are 
the  most  widely  separated,  the  distance  is  but  twenty- 
eight  miles,  and  a  circle,  of  eighteen  miles  radius  will 
include  the  group. 

"  Mount  Ellen  which  is  the  most  northerly  of  the 
group,  has  an  extreme  altitude  of  11,250  feet,  and  sur- 
passes all  its  companions  in  horizontal  extent,  as  well  as 
altitude.  Its  crest-line  is  continuous  for  two  miles,  with 
an  elevation  varying  little  from  11,000  feet.  From  it 
there  radiate  spurs  in  all  directions,  descending  to  a  series 
of  foot-hills  as  conspicuous  in  their  topography  as  they 
are  interesting  in  their  structure.  In  some  places  the  base 
of  the  mountain  is  guarded  by  a  continuous,  steep  ridge, 
through  which  a  passage  must  be  sought  by  the  approach- 


lfi4       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 


ing  traveler,  but  within  which,  movement  is  comparatively 
unimpeded. 

"  Mount  Pennell  is  a  single  peak  rising  to  an  altitude 
of  11,150  feet.  On  one  side  its  slopes  form  those  of 
Mount  Ellen  in  Pennellen  Pass  (7,550  feet),  and  on  the 
other  those  of  Mount  Hilliers  in  the  Dinah  Creek  Pass 
(7,300  feet).  Its  profiles  are  simple,  and  it  lacks  the 
salient  spurs  that  characterize  Mount  Ellen.  From  the 
west  it  is  difficult  of  approach,  being  guarded  by  a  barrier 
ridge  continuous  with  that  of  Mount  Ellen. 

"  Mount  Hilliers  is  more  rugged  in  its  character,  and 
although  compact  in  its  general  form,  is  carved  in  deep 
gorges  and  massive  spurs.  Its  rugosity  is  contrasted  by 
the  smoothness  of  its  pedestal,  which  to  the  south  and 
west  and  north  is  a  sloping  plain  merging  with  the  sur- 
rounding plateau. 

"  Mount  Ellsworth  (8,000)  feet  and  Mount  Holmes 
(7,750  feet)  stand  close  together,  but  at  a  little  distance 
from  the  others.  The  pass  which  separates  them  from 
Mount  Hilliers  has  an  altitude  of  5,250  feet.  They  are 
single  peaks,  peculiarly  rugged  in  their  forms,  and  unwa- 
tered  by  springs.  They  stand  almost  upon  the  brink  of 
the  Colorado,  which  here  flows  through  a  canyon  1,500 
feet  in  depth." 

These  mountains  are  formed  in  a  manner  almost  pecul- 
iar to  this  region.  There,  eruptive  or  lava  rocks,  instead 
of  reaching  the  surface  and  outflowing  in  broad  streams, 
intruded  themselves  between  the  strata  in  great  lens- 
shaped  masses  half  a  mile  or  more  in  diameter  and  several 
hundred  feet  thick.  The  beds  of  rock  above  them  were 
"  domed  up,"  and  are  now  seen  curving  over  them.  To 
these  intrusive  masses  Gilbert  gave  the  name  "  laccolites." 
The  Sierras  Carriso,  Abajo,  La  Sal,  La  Plata,  and  El  Late 
all  were  formed  in  this  manner. 

Not  far  away  is  the  Dinosaur  National  Monument, 
where  the  fossils  of  great  prehistoric  animals  have  been 


The  Geology  of  Utah  165 

'■  III. 

taken,  hence  the  setting  apart  of  the  region  as  a  National 
Monument. 

On  the  way  to  Zion  National  Park  the  visitor  sees  the 
great  walls  of  the  Vermillion  Cliffs.  These  may  be  fol- 
lowed from  Steamboat  Mountain,  near  Zion  Canyon, 
northward  to  Rockville  and  Shunesburg,  where  it  is  cut 
by  a  canyon  of  the  east  fork  of  the  Virgin  River,  and 
thence,  southeast  to  Pipe  Springs.  At  this  point  it  is 
intersected  by  the  same  fault  which  deflected  the  Gray 
Cliff  at  Long  Valley,  and  is  itself  carried  northward  a 
distance  of  three  or  four  miles,  when  it  resumes  its  east- 
erly course,  past  the  town  of  Kanab  and  Johnson's  settle- 
ment, to  Paria  Creek,  four  miles  above  the  town  of 
Paria.  Here  it  turns  abruptly  southward,  and  follows  for 
forty  miles  the  most  easterly  fault  of  the  Kaibab  Plateau. 
In  the  southern  part  of  this  course  it  is  the  East  Wall  of 
House  Rock  Valley,  and  it  terminates  that  valley  by  turn- 
ing sharply  to  the  east.  At  Jacob's  Pool  it  swings  to  the 
northeast  and  soon  reaches  the  mouth  of  the  Paria,  where 
it  crosses  the  Colorado  river. 

Dutton  says  of  it : 

"  Thus  far  the  distance  is  more  than  120  miles,  in 
which  the  sinuosities  of  the  front  are  not  reckoned. 
Throughout  this  entire  sweep  it  presents  to  the  south- 
ward a  majestic  wall  richly  sculptured  and  blazing  with 
gorgeous  colors.     .     .     . 

"  To  this  great  wall,  terminating  the  Triassic  terrace 
and  stretching  from  the  Hurricane  Ledge  to  the  Paria, 
Powell  has  given  the  name  of  the  Vermillion  Cliffs. 
Their  great  altitude,  the  remarkable  length  of  their  pro- 
portions are  sustained  throughout  the  entire  interval,  their 
ornate  sculpture  and  rich  coloring  might  justify  very 
exalted  language  of  description.  But  to  the  southward, 
just  where  the  desert  surface  dips  downward  beneath  the 
horizon,  are  those  supreme  walls  of  the  Grand  Canyon, 
which  we  must  hereafter  behold  and  vainly   strive   to 


inn       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

describe ;  and  however  worthy  of  admiration  the  Vermil- 
hon  CHffs  may  be,  we  must  be  frugal  of  adjectives,  lest 
in  the  chapters  to  be  written  we  find  their  force  and  mean- 
ing exhausted.  They,  will  be  weak  and  vapid  enough  at 
best.  Yet  there  are  portions  of  the  Vermillion  Cliffs 
which  in  some  respects  lay  hold  of  the  sensibilities  with  a 
force  not  much  less  overwhelming  than  the  majesty  of 
the  Grand  Canyon ;  not  in  the  same  way,  not  by  virtue  of 
the  same  elements  of  power  and  impressiveness,  but  in  a 
way  of  their  own  and  by  attributes  of  their  own.  In  mass 
and  grandeur  and  in  the  extent  of  their  display  there  is  no 
comparison;  it  would  be  like  comparing  a  private  gallery 
containing  a  few  priceless  treasures  with  the  wealth  of  art 
in  the  Vatican  or  Louvre.  All  of  the  really  superlative 
portions  of  the  Vermillion  Cliffs  could  be  comfortably 
displayed  in  any  one  of  half  a  dozen  amphitheaters  open- 
ing into  the  Kaibab  division  of  the  Grand  Canyon.  These 
portions  occur  in  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Virgen,  and 
they,  as  well  as  the  features  which  characterize  the  entire 
front  of  the  Vermillion  Cliffs,  merit  some  attempt  at 
description. 

"  Each  of  the  greater  sedimentary  groups  of  the  ter- 
races, from  the  Eocene  to  the  Permian,  inclusive,  has  its 
own  style  of  sculpture  and  architecture;  and  it  is  at  first 
surprising  and  always  pleasing  to  observe  how  strongly 
the  several  styles  contrast  with  each  other.  The  elephan- 
tine structures  of  the  Nile,  the  Grecian  temples,  the  pago- 
das of  China,  the  cathedrals  of  Western  Europe,  do  not 
offer  stronger  contrasts  than  those  we  successively  encoun- 
ter as  we  descend  the  great  stairway  which  leads  down 
from  the  High  Plateaus.  As  we  pass  from  one  terrace  to 
another  the  scene  is  wholly  changed ;  not  only  in  the  bolder 
and  grander  masses  which  dominate  the  landscape,  but  in 
every  detail  or  accessory ;  in  the  tone  of  the  color-masses, 
in  the  vegetation,  and  in  the  spirit  and  subjective  influ- 
ences of  the  scenery.    Of  these  many  and  strong  antithe- 


The  Geology  of  Utah 167 

ses,  there  is  none  stronger  than  that  between  the  repose  of 
the  Jura  and  the  animation  of  the  Trias. 

"  The  profile  of  the  Vermillion  Cliffs  is  very  complex, 
though  conforming  to  a  definite  type  and  made  up  of  sim- 
ple elements.  Though  it  varies  much  in  different  local- 
ities it  never  loses  its  typical  character.  It  consists  of  a 
series  of  vertical  ledges  rising  tier  above  tier,  story  above 
story,  with  intervening  slopes  covered  with  talus  through 
which  the  beds  project  their  fretted  edges.  The  stratifica- 
tion is  always  revealed  with  perfect  distinctness  and  is 
even  emphasized  by  the  peculiar  weathering.  The  beds 
are  very  numerous  and  mostly  of  small  or  moderate  thick- 
ness, and  the  partings  of  the  sandstones  include  layers  of 
gypsum  or  gypsiferous  sand  and  shale.  The  weathering 
attacks  these  gypseous  layers  with  great  effect,  dissolving 
them  to  a  considerable  depth  in  the  wall- face,  producing 
a  deeply  engraved  line  between  the  including  sandstones. 
This  line  is  always  in  deep  shadow  and  throws  into  strong 
relief  the  bright  edges  of  the  strata  in  the  rock-face,  sep- 
arating them  from  each  other  with  uncommon  distinct- 
ness. Where  the  profiles  are  thrown  well  into  view  the 
vertical  lines,  which  bound  the  faces  of  the  ledges,  are 
quite  perpendicular  and  straight,  while  the  lines  of  the 
intervening  slopes  are  feebly  concave,  being,  in  fact, 
descending  branches  of  hyperbolas.  They  are  graceful  in 
form  and  indeed  genuine  lines  of  beauty.  The  angles 
where  the  straight  and  curved  lines  meet,  at  the  bases  and 
summits  of  the  ledges,  are  very  keen  and  well  cut.  The 
composite  effect  thus  given  by  the  multiple  cliffs  and 
sloping  water-tables  rising  story  above  story,  by  the  acute 
definition  of  the  profiles  and  horizontal  moldings,  and  by 
the  refined  though  inobtrusive  details,  is  highly  architec- 
tural and  ornate,  and  contrasts  in  the  extreme  with  the 
rough,  craggy,  beetling,  aspect  of  the  cliffs  of  other 
regions.  This  effect  is  much  enhanced  by  the  manner  in 
which  the  wall  advances  in  promontories  or  recedes  in 


168       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

alcoves,  and  by  the  wings  and  gables  with  sharp  cor- 
ners and  IMansard  roofs  jutting  out  from  every  lateral 
face  where  there  is  the  least  danger  of  blankness  or 
monotony."* 

Bryce  Canyon  and  Zion  National  Park  are  both  in  this 
same  wonderful  geological  region  and  the  reader  is 
referred  to  the  special  chapters  upon  these  glorious  scenic 
wonders. 

Reference  already  has  been  made  to  that  well-known 
natural  wonder,  the  Devil's  Slide,  seen  on  the  main 
line  of  the  Union  Pacific  in  Weber  Canyon.  This  is 
formed  of  two  limestone  reefs  tilted  up  into  a  vertical 
position.  The  soft  shale,  between  and  outside  the  reefs 
has  been  eroded  away,  leaving  them  standing  about  forty 
feet  above  the  general  slope  of  the  canyon  side. 

Though  this  chapter  has  expanded  into  far  more  than 
its  allotted  length,  it  has  by  no  means  exhausted  the  sub- 
ject. If  it  has  aroused  the  interest  of  the  keen  and  intelli- 
gent student  and  given  him  a  zest  to  pursue  the  subject 
further  its  object  is  already  more  than  attained. 

•Second  Annual  Report  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  pp.  83,  84,  85. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  OPALESCENT  VALLEY ZION  NATIONAL  PARK 

Few  citizens  of  the  United  States,  east  or  west,  realize 
how  much  they  owe  to  that  pioneer  in  scientific  explora- 
tion. Major  J.  W.  Powell,  for  the  knowledge  they  pos- 
sess of  the  wonders,  glories,  enchantments,  that  he  found 
in  the  unknown  regions  of  the  west  and  made  known  to 
the  world.  Not  the  least  of  his  discoveries  was  the  mar- 
velous canyon  of  the  "  Mukuntuweap,"  as  the  Indians 
called  what  is  now  "  Zion  National  Park."  Undoubtedly 
this  opalescent  valley  was  first  seen  and  cursorily  explored 
by  the  Mormons,  possibly  in  the  early  fifties,  though  no 
one  settled  within  its  borders  until  the  latter  portion  of 
the  decade.  A  little  later  the  Indians  resented  the  assump- 
tions of  the  new  comers,  and  arose  and  drove  them  out, 
when  it  was  again  left  to  its  native  solitude  for  several 
years. 

There  have  been  three  explanations  offered  as  to  the 
conferring  of  the  name  upon  it  of  "  Little  Zion  Canyon." 
One  is  that  it  came  from  Brigham  Young.  Salt  Lake  City 
was  the  new  Zion  to  which  the  Mormons  had  been 
brought  across  the  deserts,  plains  and  mountains,  in  1847. 
Ten  years  later,  however,  owing,  to  state  it  mildly,  to 
misunderstandings  between  Brigham  Young,  as  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Utah,  and  the  federal  government.  President 
Buchanan  sent  an  army  to  oust  Brigham  and  install  his 
successor.  Brigham,  however,  with  great  force  of  argu- 
ment, contended  that  this  action  of  the  President  was  in 
itself  illegal  and  that,  therefore,  as  the  duly  appointed 

169 


170      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

Governor,  it  was  his  duty  to  protect  his  people  from  the 
aggressions  of  unauthorized  authority.  The  way  he 
treated  the  troops  is  well  known.  Yet  Brigham  was  a 
firm  believer  in  preparedness,  and,  in  order  to  be  ready, 
should  the  soldiers  gain  access  to  Salt  Lake  City,  he  deter- 
mined to  find  hiding  places  where  the  Mormons  could  flee 
and  remain  in  perfect  security  so  long  as  the  troops 
remained. 

It  was  at  this  time,  it  is  said,  that  he  was  shown  Mukun- 
tuweap.  He  was  so  impressed  with  its  seclusion,  and  its 
easily-defended  inaccessibility,  that  he  termed  it  the 
**  Little  Zion,"  to  which  he  and  his  people  would  flee, 
should  they  find  it  necessary. 

Another  story  is  that  he  gave  it  the  name  because  of 
the  glorious  towers,  temples,  tabernacles,  domes,  pin- 
nacles, and  minarets  found  there,  and  still  a  third  story 
alleges  that  it  was  the  settlers  themselves  who  gave  it 
the  name. 

Captain  Button  evidently  thought  it  was  Brigham 
Young  who  named  it,  for  in  his  vivid  language  he 
declares : 

"  In  its  proportions  it  is  about  equal  to  Yosemite,  but 
in  the  nobility  and  beauty  of  its  sculptures  there  is  no  com- 
parison. It  is  Hyperion  to  a  satyr.  No  wonder  the  fierce 
Mormon  zealot  who  named  it  was  reminded  of  the  Great 
Zion  on  which  his  fervid  thoughts  were  bent,  of  houses 
not  built  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens." 

And  as  we  enter  the  canyon  and  become  familiar  with 
its  sculptured  walls  we  can  well  agree  with  another  writer 
that  it  was : 

"  A  happy  chance  that  left  the  naming  of  the  various 
sculptures  in  the  canyon  to  the  zealots  of  the  Mormon 
Church,  for  none  but  the  tremendous  imagery  of  the  Old 
Testament  could  do  justice  to  these  stupendous  creations 
of  nature.  Thus  we  have  the  east  and  west  Temples  of 
the   Virgin,    the    Altar   of    Sacrifice,    the   Great    White 


The  Opalescent  Valley— Zion  National  Park  I7l 

Throne,  the  Guardian  Angels,  the  Gates  of  Zion,  the  Pass 
and  Court  of  the  Patriarchs;  it  is  all  sonorously  inspiring 
and  in  keeping  with  the  primeval  grandeur  of  this  land  of 
majestic  loveliness." 

Undoubtedly  the  first  account  of  Zion  Canyon  ever 
given  to  the  world  was  that  of  Major  Powell,  in  his 
Explorations  of  the  Colorado  River.  On  September  12, 
1870,  in  company  with  Jacob  Hamblin,  the  Mormon  mis- 
sionary, he  visited  it.    He  wrote : 

"  Our  course,  for  the  last  two  days,  through  Pa-ru-nu- 
weap  Canyon,  was  directly  to  the  west.    Another  stream 
comes   down   from  the  north  and  unites   just   here   at 
Schunesberg  with  the  main  branch  of  the  Rio  Virgen. 
We  determine  to  spend  a  day  in  the  exploration  of  this 
stream.     The  Indians  call  the  canyon,  through  which  it 
runs,  Mukoontuweap,  or  Straight  Canyon.    Entering  this, 
we  have  to  wade  up  stream;  often  the  water  fills  the 
entire  channel,  and  although  we  travel  many  miles,  we 
find  no  flood-plain,  talus,  or  broken  piles  of  rock  at  the 
foot  of  the  cliff.    The  walls  have  smooth,  plain  faces,  and 
are  everywhere  very  regular  and  vertical  for  a  thousand 
feet  or  more,  where  they  seem  to  break  back  in  shelving 
slopes  to  higher  altitudes ;  and  everywhere,  as  we  go  along, 
we  find  springs  bursting  out  at  the  foot  of  the  walls,  and 
passing  these,  the  river  above  becomes  steadily  smaller; 
the  great  body  of  water  which  runs  below,  bursts  out 
from  beneath  this  great  bed  of  red  sandstone;  as  we  go  up 
the  canyon,  it  comes  to  be  but  a  creek  and  then  a  brook. 
On  the  western  wall  of  the  canyon  stand  some  buttes, 
towers,  and  high  pinnacled  rocks.     Going  up  the  canyon 
we  gain  glimpses  of  them,  here  and  there.     Last  summer, 
after  our  trip  through  the  Canyon  of  the  Colorado,  on 
our  way  from  the  mouth  of  the  Virgin  to  Salt  Lake  City, 
these  were  seen  as  conspicuous  landmarks,  from  a  dis- 
tance, away  to  the  southwest,  of  sixty  or  seventy  miles. 


172      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

These  tower  rocks  are  known  as  the  Temples  of  the 
Virgin." 

Powell  invariably  wrote  with  great  restraint,  and  when 
it  is  recalled  that  his  senses  had  been  dazzled  by  his  long 
and  intimate  intercourse  with  the  stupendous  majesty  of 
the  Grand  Canyon,  we  can  understand  why  his  descrip- 
tion of  Mukuntuweap  seems  somewhat  tame  and  com- 
monplace. But  that  he  was  profoundly  impressed,  is 
revealed  again  and  again  in  his  writings,  and  when  he  sent 
the  eminent  poet-geologist,  Clarence  E.  Button,  to  study 
and  report  on  the  geology  of  the  Grand  Canyon  region, 
he  at  the  same  time,  introduced  him  in  this  smaller,  but 
equally  dazzlingly  gorgeous  canyon.  The  result  is  that 
we  have,  in  Button's  description,  one  of  the  most  vivid 
accounts  yet  written.  And  it  must  be  remembered  that 
these  words  were  penned  by  one  whose  knowledge  of 
other  majestic  canyon  and  plateau  scenery,  perhaps,  was 
not  surpassed  by  that  of  any  other  writer  in  the  world. 
Let  us  read,  then,  with  care  and  rigid  attention  what 
Captain  Button  writes : 

"  The  controlling  object  was  a  great  butte  which  sprang 
into  view  immediately  before  us,  and  which  the  salient  of 
the  wall  had  hitherto  masked.  Upon  a  pedestal  two  miles 
long  and  i,ooo  feet  high,  rightly  decorated  with  horiz- 
ontal moldings,  rose  four  towers  highly  suggestive  of 
cathedral  architecture.  Their  altitude  above  the  plain  was 
estimated  at  about  i,8oo  feet.  They  were  separated  by 
vertical  clefts  made  by  the  enlargement  of  the  joints,  and 
many  smaller  clefts  extending  from  the  summits  to  the 
pedestal  carved  the  turrets  into  tapering  buttresses,  which 
gave  a  graceful  aspiring  effect  with  a  remarkable  definite- 
ness  to  the  form.  We  named  it  Smithsonian  Butte  and 
it  was  decided  that  a  sketch  should  be  made  of  it ;  but  in 
a  few  moments  the  plan  was  abandoned  or  forgotten. 
For,  over  a  notch  or  saddle  formed  by  a  low  isthmus 
which  connected  the  butte  with  the  principal  mesa,  there 


The  Opalescent  Valley — Zion  National  Park  173 

sailed  slowly  and  majestically  into  view,  as  we  rode  along, 
a  wonderful  object.  Deeply  moved,  we  paused  a  moment 
to  contemplate  it,  and  then,  abandoning  the  trail,  we  rode 
rapidly  towards  the  notch,  beyond  which  it  soon  sank  out 
of  sight.  In  an  hour's  time  we  reached  the  crest  of  the 
isthmus,  and  in  an  instant  there  flashed  before  us  a  scene 
never  to  be  forgotten.  In  coming  time,  it  will,  I  believe, 
take  rank  with  a  very  small  number  of  spectacles  each  of 
which  will,  in  its  own  way,  be  regarded  as  the  most  exquis- 
ite of  its  kind  which  the  world  discloses.  The  scene 
before  us  was  the  Temples  and  Towers  of  the  Virgin. 

"  At  our  feet  the  surface  drops  down  by  cliff  and  talus 
1,200  feet  upon  a  broad  and  rugged  plain  cut  by  narrow 
canyons.  The  slopes,  the  winding  ledges,  the  bosses  of 
projecting  rock,  the  naked,  scanty  soil,  display  colors 
which  are  truly  amazing.  Chocolate,  maroon,  purple,  lav- 
ender, magenta,  with  broad  bands  of  toned  white,  are  laid 
in  horizontal  belts,  strongly  contrasting  with  each  other, 
and  the  ever-varying  slope  of  the  surface  cuts  across  them 
capriciously,  so  that  the  sharply  defined  belts  wind  about 
like  the  contours  of  a  map.  From  right  to  left  across  the 
further  foreground  of  the  picture  stretches  the  inner  can- 
yon of  the  Virgin,  about  700  feet  in  depth,  and  here  of 
considerable  width.  Its  bottom  is  for  the  most  part 
unseen,  but  in  one  place  is  disclosed  by  a  turn  in  its  course, 
showing  the  vivid  green  of  vegetation.  Across  the  can- 
yon, and  rather  more  than  a  mile  and  a  half  beyond  it, 
stands  the  central  and  commanding  object  of  the  picture, 
the  Western  Temple,  rising  4,000  feet  above  the  river. 
Its  glorious  summit  was  the  object  we  had  seen  an  hour 
before,  and  now  the  matchless  beauty  and  majesty  of  its 
vast  mass  is  all  before  us.  Yet  it  is  only  the  central  object 
of  a  mighty  throng  of  structures  wrought  up  to  the  same 
exalted  style,  and  filling  up  the  entire  panorama.  Right 
opposite  us  are  the  two  principal  forks  of  the  Virgin,  the 
Parunuweap  coming    from   the   right   or   east,   and   the 


174       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

Mukiintuweap,  or  Zion  Valley,  descending  towards  us 
from  the  north.  The  Parunuweap  is  seen  emerging  on 
the  extreme  right  through  a  stupendous  gateway  and 
chasm  in  the  Triassic  terrace,  nearly  3,000  feet  in 
depth.  The  further  wall  of  this  canyon,  at  the  opening 
of  the  gateway,  quickly  swings  northward  at  a  right 
angle  and  becomes  the  eastern  wall  of  Zion  Valley.  As  it 
sweeps  down  the  Parunuweap  it  breaks  into  great  pedi- 
ments covered  all  over  with  the  richest  carvings.  The 
effect  is  much  like  that  which  the  architect  of  the  Milan 
Cathedral  appears  to  have  designed,  though  here  it  is 
vividly  suggested  rather  than  fully  realized  —  as  an  artist 
painting  in  the  '  broad  style  '  suggests  many  things  with- 
out actually  drawing  them.  The  sumptuous,  bewilder- 
ing, mazy  effect  is  all  there,  but  when  we  attempt  to  ana- 
lyze it  in  detail  it  eludes  us.  The  flank  of  the  wall  reced- 
ing up  the  Mukuntuweap  is  for  a  mile  or  two  similarly 
decorated,  but  it  soon  breaks  into  new  forms  much  more 
impressive  and  wonderful.  A  row  of  towers  half  a  mile 
high  is  quarried  out  of  the  palisade  and  stands  well 
advanced  from  its  face.  There  is  an  eloquence  to  their 
forms  which  stirs  the  imagination  with  a  singular  power, 
and  kindles  in  the  mind  of  the  dullest  observer  a  glowing 
response.  Just  behind  them,  rising  a  thousand  feet 
higher,  is  the  Eastern  Temple,  crowned  with  a  cylindrical 
dome  of  white  sandstone ;  but  since  it  is,  in  many  respects, 
a  repetition  of  the  Western  Temple,  we  may  turn  our 
attention  to  the  latter.  Directly  in  front  of  us  a  complex 
group  of  white  towers,  springing  from  a  central  pile, 
mounts  upwards  to  the  clouds.  Out  of  their  midst,  and 
high  over  all,  rises  a  dome-like  mass,  which  dominates  the 
entire  landscape.  It  is  almost  pure  white,  with  brilliant 
streaks  of  carmine  descending  its  vertical  walls.  At  the 
summit  it  is  truncated,  and  a  flat  tablet  is  laid  upon  the 
top,  showing  its  edges  of  deep  red.  It  is  impossible  to 
liken  this  object  to  any  familiar  shape,  for  it  resembles 


The  Opalescent  Valley — Zion  National  Park  175 

none.  Yet  its  shape  is  far  from  being  indefinite;  on  the 
contrary,  it  has  a  definiteness  and  individuahty  which 
extort  an  exclamation  of  surprise  when  first  beheld. 

"  There  is  no  name  provided  for  such  an  object,  nor  is 
it  worth  while  to  invent  one.  Call  it  a  dome ;  not  because 
it  has  the  ordinary  shape  of  such  a  structure,  but  because 
it  performs  the  functions  of  a  dome. 

"  The  towers  which  surround  it  are  of  inferior  mass 
and  altitude,  but  each  of  them  is  a  study  of  fine  form  and 
architectural  effect.  They  are  white  above,  and  change  to 
a  strong,  rich  red  below.  Dome  and  towers  are  planted 
upon  a  substructure  no  less  admirable.  Its  plan  is  indef- 
inite, but  its  profiles  are  perfectly  systematic.  A  curtain 
wall,  1,400  feet  high,  descends  vertically  from  the  eaves 
of  the  temples  and  is  succeeded  by  a  steep  slope  of  ever- 
widening  base  courses  leading  down  to  the  esplanade 
below.  The  curtain  wall  is  decorated  with  a  lavish  display 
of  vertical  moldings,  and  the  ridges,  eaves,  and  mitered 
angles  are  fretted  with  serrated  cusps.  This  ornamenta- 
tion is  suggestive  rather  than  precise,  but  it  is  none  the 
less  effective.  It  is  repetitive,  not  symmetrical.  But 
though  exact  symmetry  is  wanting.  Nature  has  here 
brought  home  to  us  the  truth  that  symmetry  is  only  one 
of  an  infinite  range  of  devices  by  which  beauty  can  be 
materialized. 

"  '  And  finer  forms  are  in  the  quarry 
Than  ever  Angelo  evoked.'  " 

Let  a  more  modern  writer,  Robert  Sterling  Yard,  now 
take  up  the  theme  and  describe  the  East  Temple : 

"  The  East  Temple,  which  rises  directly  opposite  and 
two  miles  back  from  the  rim,  is  a  fitting  companion.  It 
is  a  thousand  feet  higher.  Its  central  structure  is  a  steep 
truncated  cone  capped  like  the  West  Temple.  Its  wings 
are  separated  half-way  down,  one  an  elongated  pyramid 
and  the  other  a  true  cone,  both  of  magnificent  size  and 


176       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

bulk  but  truly  proportioned  to  the  central  mass.  Phrase 
does  not  convey  the  suggestion  or  architectural  calcula- 
tion in  both  of  these  stupendous  monuments.     ...     . 

"  A  more  definite  conception  of  Nature's  gigantic  pro- 
cesses follows  upon  realization  that  these  lofty  structures 
once  joined  across  the  canyon,  stratum  for  stratum,  color 
for  color.  The  rock  that  joined  them,  disintegrated  by 
the  frosts  and  rains,  has  passed  down  the  muddy  current 
of  the  Virgin,  down  the  surging  tide  of  the  Colorado, 
through  tl'ie  Grand  Canyon,  and'  into  the  Pacific.  Some 
part  of  these  sands  doubtless  helped  to  build  the  peninsula 
of  Lower  California." 

Now  a  few  words  from  Button  upon  this  Eastern 
Temple : 

"  Reverting  to  the  twin  temple  across  Zion  Valley,  its 
upper  mass  is  a  repetition  of  the  one  which  crowns  the 
western  pile.  It  has  the  same  elliptical  contour,  and  a  sim- 
ilar red  tablet  above.  In  its  effect  upon  the  imagination 
it  is  much  the  same.  But  from  the  point  from  which  we 
first  viewed  them  —  and  it  is  by  far  the  best  one  accessi- 
ble —  it  was  too  distant  to  be  seen  to  the  fullest  advan- 
tage, and  the  Western  Temple  by  its  greater  proximity 
overpowered  its  neighbor." 

The  present  day  visitor  to  Zion  Canyon,  however,  must 
note  that  his  position  is  practically  the  reverse  of  that  occu- 
pied by  Captain  Button  when  he  wrote  these  memorable 
descriptions.  The  new  road  takes  one  close  to  the  East- 
ern Temple,  and  the  Western  one,  therefore,  though  the 
more  majestic  and  awe-inspiring,  is  seen  far  away  to  the 
right,  and  is  dwarfed  somewhat  by  its  distance.  Button 
continues : 

"  Nothing  can  exceed  the  wondrous  beauty  of  Zion 
Valley,  which  separates  the  two  temples  and  their  respec- 
tive groups  of  towers.  Nor  are  these  the  only  sublime 
structures  which  look  down  into  its  depths,  for  similar 


The  Opalescent  Valley — 2^on  National  Park  177 

ones  are  seen  on  either  hand  along  its  receding  vista  until 
a  turn  in  the  course  carries  the  valley  out  of  sight." 
Yard  thus  describes  the  ravine : 

"  Passing  the  gates  the  traveler  stands  in  a  trench  of 
nearly  perpendicular  sides  more  than  half  a  mile  deep, 
half  a  mile  wide  at  the  bottom,  a  mile  wide  from  crest  to 
crest.  The  proportions  and  measurements  suggest 
Yosemite,  but  there  is  little  else  in  common.  These  walls 
blaze  with  color.  On  the  west  the  Streaked  Wall,  carved 
from  the  White  Cliff,  is  stained  with  the  drip  from  the 
red  and  drab  and  chocolate  shales  and  limestones  not  yet 
wholly  washed  from  its  top.  It  is  a  vivid  thing,  wonder- 
fully eroded.  Opposite  is  the  Brown  Wall,  rich  in  hue, 
supporting  three  stupendous  structures  of  gorgeous  color, 
two  of  which  are  known  as  the  Mountain  of  the  Sun  and 
the  Watchman.  Together  they  are  the  Sentinels.  Pass- 
ing these  across  a  plaza  apparently  broadened  for  their 
better  presentation,  rise  on  the  west  the  Three  Patriarchs, 
Yosemite-like  in  form,  height,  and  bulk,  but  not  in  per- 
sonality or  color.  The  brilliance  of  this  wonder-spot 
passes  description," 

As  Yard  has  suggested,  in  some  respects,  Zion  Canyon 
is  like  Yosemite,  in  size  and  the  abruptness  of  its  cliffs. 
Its  walls  are  not  as  high  as  those  of  Yosemite,  though  to 
the  general  eye  they  appear  to  be  so,  but  instead  of  the 
dull  gray  of  the  Yosemite' s  granite  here  are  mauves,  pur- 
ples, olive-greens,  deep  chocolate  reds,  and  creamy  whites. 
It  is  a  genuine  opal  or  rainbow  land,  resplendent  in  color, 
with  walls  of  dazzling  splendor,  crowned  with  peaks  and 
domes,  minarets  and  towers,  carved  into  startling,  gro- 
tesque, beautiful,  enchanting  shapes  by  the  never-tiring 
forces  of  Nature. 

While  the  approach  to  Zion  is  strikingly  grand,  it  is 
altogether  unlike  that  of  Yosemite,  where  the  Canyon  of 
the  Merced  gives  one  a  full  foretaste  of  what  is  ahead. 
Here,  the  approach  is  more  open,  though  there  are  sug- 


'8       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blosgoming  Valleys 


gestions  and  foretastes  enough  to  satisfy  the  most  exact- 
ing. To  the  left,  as  one  rides  up  the  dugway  recently 
constructed  on  the  hill-side  by  the  National  Park  Service, 
he  sees  two  white  towers,  dazzingly  brilliant  in  the  sun- 
shine, but  these  are  dwarfed  in  comparison  with  the  Great 
Temple  of  the  Virgin,  which  for  hours  and  hours  of  swift- 
est travel  has  lifted  its  opalescent  shoulders  alluringly 
against  the  eastern  sky.  As  we  approach  we  are  in  the 
midst  of  incredible  cliffs,  buttes,  pinnacles,  all  radiant  in 
glowing  color,  all  strikingly  sculptured,  yet  altogether 
insignificant  in  the  presence  of  that  masterpiece  across  the 
river,  —  the  Great  Temple.     Writes  F.  S.  Dellenbaugh : 

"  Under  the  noonday  sun  it  glows  with  an  iridescence 
that  intensifies  its  magnitude.  The  delicacy  of  the  merg- 
ing tints  of  red  and  white  and  yellowy  cream,  with  tones  of 
soft  Vermillion  spread  here  and  there  athwart  the  white 
like  alpenglow  transfixed,  is  discouraging  enough  to  the 
brush  of  the  painter.  The  foreground  is  gravelly  desert 
sprinkled  with  the  exquisite  gray-green  of  the  sage-brush, 
inhabited,  apparently,  only  by  lizards,  one  large,  active 
specimen  resenting  our  intrusion  by  a  series  of  angry 
hisses.*  Away  below,  sage-covered  slopes  extend  to  the 
distant  green  of  Virgin  City,  overshadowed  by  the  tower- 
ing magnificence  of  the  Great  Temple,  standing  unique, 
sublime,  adamantine.  One  hardly  knows  just  what  to 
think  of  it.  Never  before  has  such  a  naked  mountain  of 
rock  entered  into  our  minds!  Without  a  shred  of  dis- 
guise its  transcendent  form  rises  preeminent.  There  is 
almost  nothing  to  compare  to  it  —  Niagara  has  the  beauty 
of  energy;  the  Grand  Canyon,  of  immensity;  the  Yellow- 
stone, of  singularity ;  the  Yosemite,  of  altitude;  the  ocean, 
of  power;  this  Great  Temple,  of  eternity.  — 

"  *  The  Titan-fronted,  blowy  steeps 
That  cradled  Time.' 

•Here,  apparently.  Dr.  Dellenbaugh  refers  to  the  Gila  monster,  which,  personally  I 
never  have  seen  north  of  the  Grand  Canyon.  I  am  told,  however,  that  occasionaUy 
it  is  found  in  southern  Utah.  It  .should  be  noted,  al.so,  that  his  "  Great  Temple  "  is 
undoubtedly  the  "  Western  Temple  "  of  Capt.   Dutton. 


The  Opalescent  Valley — Zion  National  Park  179 

"  One  feels  here  in  sympathy  with  Childe  Roland  halt- 
ing before  the  Dark  Tower,  yet  is  uncertain  whether,  like 
him,  to  blow  a  blast  of  defiance  or,  like  Moslem  at  Mecca, 
to  fall  in  prayerful  homage. 

"  Indeed,  we  are  at  last  face  to  face  with  the  Unobtain- 
able; no  foot  of  man  has  ever  touched  the  summit  of  this 
silent  shrine,  7,500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  4,000 
above  the  valley  before  us.  Storm,  night,  the  stars,  the 
sun  and  moon,  the  elements,  alone  hold  communion  with 
that  pristine  crest.  Under  its  shadow  we  may  almost 
touch  the  latch-string  of  Eternity ;  almost  see  ourselves  in 
the  dull  mirror  of  Time.  There  comes  a  feeling  that  it 
ought  to  speak,  to  roar,  to  belch  forth  fire  and  brimstone, 
to  give  some  sign  of  the  throes  of  world-birth  it  has  wit- 
nessed since  these  rocks  were  dyed  in  the  antediluvian 
seas.  But  only  the  silence  of  the  outer  spheres  encircles  it ; 
in  all  that  wondrous  expanse  of  magnificent  precipices  we 
hear  no  sound  save  our  own  voices  and  the  whisper  of  the 
wind  that  comes  and  goes,  breathing  with  the  round  of 
centuries. 

"  In  the  morning  we  discover  that  the  great  biltte,  like 
a  chameleon,  has  changed  color.  The  rare  opalescence 
has  vanished ;  instead,  the  rock  mountain  palpitates  with  a 
heavenly  blue,  as  if  metamorphosed  to  sapphire  in  a  night. 
But  the  sun,  mounting,  darts  shafts  of  light  across  the 
summit,  the  outlying  pinnacles  are  set  aflame;  gradually 
the  whole  array  of  colors  burns  out  again  with  all  the 
intensity  of  yesterday.  To  the  left  the  white  and  red  rock 
domes  of  Colob  Plateau  stand  luminous  also,  the  color 
everywhere  increasing  in  brilliancy  as  the  sun  falls,  till  the 
entire  landscape  appears  kaleidoscopic,  yet  never  harsh  nor 
crude.  To  eyes  prejudiced  by  the  soft  blues  and  grays  of 
a  familiar  eastern  United  States  or  European  district,  this 
immense  prodigality  of  color  is  startling,  perhaps  painful; 
it  seems  to  the  inflexible  mind  unwarranted,  immodest,  as 


180       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

if  Xaturc  had  stripped  and  posed  nude,  unblushing  before 
humanity." 

That  is  a  poetic  description  made  by  an  artist  with  a 
mind  alert  to  native  beauty  and  a  soul  awake  to  high  and 
noble  sentiment. 

The  traveler  to  Zion  should  also  note  well  Captain 
Dutton's  description  of  the  two  forks  of  the  Virgin  River. 
The  one  to  the  left  —  facing  the  canyon  —  is  the  Mukun- 
tuweap,  or  the  north  fork,  —  Zion  City  itself  —  while  the 
one  to  the  right  is  the  Parunuweap,  or  the  south  fork. 
The  former  drains  the  larger  area  and  though  most  of 
the  travelers  who  visited  Zion  Canyon  in  the  past  few 
summers  have  seen  only  a  quiet  mountain  stream 
meandering  along,  the  few  inhabitants  of  the  region  know 
that  occasionally  it  becomes  a  raging  torrent,  booming 
and  slashing  at  the  sides  of  the  canyon  with  cutting  force, 
and  carrying  away  all  the  loose  sand  and  rock-debris  that 
have  accumulated  as  talus  at  the  foot  of  the  cliffs  since  the 
last  flood.  Undoubtedly  these  floods  have  been  the  prin- 
cipal carving  agencies  in  the  making  of  these  great  can- 
yons, for  Parunuweap  is  a  wonderful  canyon  as  well  as 
is  Mukuntuweap,  though  nothing  like  so  varied  in  its 
architectural  forms. 

The  western  gate-post  of  Zion  is  magnificent  as  one 
enters  the  canyon,  and,  says  Dellenbaugh : 

"  The  Great  Temple  is  the  forerunner  of  numerous 
other  temples,  some  of  them  reaching  up  close  to  the  alti- 
tude of  its  own  mighty  head.  With  the  Great  Temple  on 
the  one  hand,  looming  4,000  feet,  and  on  the  other  one  of 
more  than  2,000  feet,  the  spectator  is  instantly  enveloped 
in  the  maze  of  cliffs  and  color,  a  double  line  of  majestic 
sculptures,  —  domes,  pyramids,  pinnacles,  temples,  sweep- 
ing away  to  the  north,  dazzling  with  vermillion,  orange, 
pink,  and  white,  —  all  scintillating  in  the  burning  sun- 
light with  an  intensity  not  comprehensible  to  those  who 
have  never  had  the  good  fortune  to  breathe  this  lambent 


The  Opalescent  Valley — Zion  National  Park  181 

air  amidst  the  overwhelming  profusion  of  color.  And 
the  splendor  of  all  this  exquisite  Nature-painting  is 
enhanced  by  the  soft  green  of  the  cultivated  fields  and 
foliage  of  Springdale,  the  last  settlement  (in  the  mouth 
of  the  canyon).  The  white  summits  of  carved  stone 
shine  and  shimmer  like  snow  mantles  against  the  sky, 
whose  enchanting  blue,  flecked  here  and  there  by  a  drift- 
ing cloud,  repeats  on  high  the  azure  of  the  shadows,  and 
gives  the  finishing  touch  to  the  panorama  —  to  the  opales- 
cence of  the  valley.  Yet  with  all  the  wonderful  play  of 
color  there  is  nothing  garish  or  bizarre  about  this  Opales- 
cent Valley;  sky  and  cliff  and  bottomland  are  blended  har- 
moniously into  one  picture. 

"  The  Great  Temple  as  it  is  approached  from  the  west, 
at  first  appears  ominous,  forbidding,  and  we  might  expect 
the  valley  which  it  guards  to  offer  a  similar  impression ; 
but  now  the  Temple  from  this  point  seems  quite  indif- 
ferent, in  its  attitude,  while  the  Opalescent  Valley  itself 
opens  wide  and  smiling,  seductive  as  the  realm  of  some 
sleeping  beauty." 

When  Dellenbaugh  went  up  the  canyon  in  1903,  there 
were  houses  and  cultivated  fields  in  what  is  now  the 
National  Park.  The  people  of  Springdale  had  cut  a  rude 
wagon-road  on  the  hills  which  made  the  further  ascent 
from  their  village  possible.  The  park  officials  have  now 
constructed  a  good  automobile  road,  though  it  is  not  one 
to  be  careless  upon.  The  fields  have  been  allowed  to 
revert  to  their  natural  condition,  and  the  present-day  vis- 
itor occasionally  is  surprised  to  find  himself  standing 
under  a  well-laden  apple  tree,  growing,  apparently,  as  wild 
as  the  sage-brush  and  cactus. 

Dellenbaugh's  descriptions  are  fascinating,  though  it 
must  be  recalled,  in  reading  them,  that,  since  his  day,  all 
the  principal  features  of  the  canyon  have  received  specific 
names ;  he  says : 

"  Two  miles  above  the  village  we  passed  several  houses, 


182       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

the  final  ones  in  this  direction ;  henceforth  we  had  the 
entire  valley  to  ourselves;  henceforth  these  mighty  towers 
and  temples  reared  their  stupendous  fronts  for  us  alone; 
for  us  the  river  sent  up  its  angry  growl  as  if  resenting 
our  intrusion  within  this  realm  fit  only  for  the  Titan  gods. 
Nearer  came  the  domes  and  precipices,  perpendicular  for 
twice  a  thousand  feet ;  closer  came  the  great  boulders  and 
bluffs  by  the  river,  till  we  were  creeping  along  a  roadway 
hewn  out  of  the  low  hills  by  the  Springdale  people,  who 
utilize  some  of  the  lands  above.  Without  this  no  wagon 
could  go  farther.  For  a  couple  of  miles  the  bottom  is  for- 
bidding, the  river  roaring  at  our  feet,  the  precipices  leap- 
ing to  the  sky.  Ahead  are  vistas  of  even  greater  pyramids 
with  foreground  of  beating  waters.  These  seem,  indeed, 
to  be  balanced  in  the  zenith.  They  are  extraordinary,  and 
though  they  have  not  the  base-bulk  of  the  Great  Temple, 
they  astound  us  by  their  beetling,  towering  character  as 
much  as  did  that  giant  butte.  Words  fail  to  express  the 
sensations  inspired  by  these  excessive  heights  of  naked 
rock.  The  ri\er  constantly  forms  an  appropriate  fore- 
ground, and  at  length  as  we  near  the  upper  end  of  this 
particular  division  one  of  the  most  complete  pictures  of 
the  whole  valley  unfolds  before  us.  In  the  foreground 
are  the  chaotic  masses  of  red  rock  through  which  the 
river  tears  its  way;  green  cottonwoods  and  bushes  then 
mject  their  note,  leading  on  to  a  huge  vermillion  pyramid 
whose  precipices  cleave  the  sky  in  the  May-day  sun  like  a 
battle-axe,  behind  and  above  it  rising  the  still,  white  rocks 
of  the  yet  greater  pyramids." 

There  are  really  four  distinct  divisions  of  Zion  Canyon, 
the  remembrance  of  which  may  be  helpful  to  the  tourist 
desirous  of  carrying  away  as  perfect  and  complete  impres- 
sions as  is  possible.    These  canyon  phases  are : 

I.  The  approach,  from  whence  the  closer  views  of 
the  rear  of  the  Great  Temple,  and  the  Guardian  Angels 
are  obtained. 


The  Opalescent  Valley — Zlon  National  Park  183 

2.  The    entrance    into    the    canyon,    or    the    ravine. 

3.  The  amphitheater,  which  extends  to  the  turn  where 
the  cable,  or  "  wire,"  is  located. 

4.  The  narrowing  canyon  leading  into  the  closed 
chasm. 

The  approach,  of  which  masters  of  description  have 
already  fully  apprized  us,  is  thus  graphically  presented  in 
our  day  by  Robert  Sterling  Yard,  in  his  Book  of  the 
National  Parks: 

"  From  here  on,  swinging  easterly  up-stream,  sensa- 
tion hastens  to  its  climax.  Here  the  Hurricane  Cliff  sends 
aloft  an  impressive  butte  painted  in  slanting  colors  and 
capped  with  basalt.  Farther  on  a  rugged  promontory 
striped  with  vivid  tints  pushes  out  from  the  southern  wall 
nearly  to  the  river's  brink.  The  cliffs  on  both  sides  of 
the  river  are  carved  from  the  stratum  which  geologists 
call  the  Belted  Shales.  Greenish-grays,  brownish-yellows, 
many  shades  of  bright  red,  are  prominent;  it  is  hard  to 
name  a  color  or  shade  which  is  not  represented  in  its 
horizontal  bands.  *  The  eye  tires  and  the  mind  flags  in 
their  presence,'  writes  Professor  Willis  T.  Lee.  *  To  try 
to  realize  in  an  hour's  time  the  beauty  and  variety  of 
detail  here  presented  is  as  useless  as  to  try  to  grasp  the 
thoughts  expressed  in  whole  rows  of  volumes  by  walking 
through  a  library.' 

"  Far  up  the  canyon  which  North  Creek  pushes  through 
this  banded  cliff,  two  towering  cones  of  glistening  white 
are  well  named  Guardian  Angels  —  of  the  stream  which 
roars  between  their  feet.  Eagle  Crag,  which  Moran 
painted,  looms  into  view.  On  the  south  appears  the 
majestic  massing  of  needle-pointed  towers  which  Powell 
named  the  Pinnacles  of  the  Virgin.  The  spectacular  con- 
fuses with"  its  brilliant  variations. 

"  Reaching  Springdale,  at  the  base  of  the  Vermillion 
Cliff,  the  traveler  looks  up-stream  to  the  valley  mouth 
through  which  the  river  emerges  from  the  cliffs,  and  a 


184       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

spectacle  without  parallel  meets  his  eye.  Left  of  the  gor- 
geous entrance  rises  the  unbelievable  West  Temple  of  the 
Virgin,  and,  merging  with  it  from  behind,  loom  the  lofty 
Towers  of  the  Virgin.  Opposite  these,  and  back  from  the 
canyon's  eastern  brink,  rises  the  loftier  and  even  more 
majestic  East  Temple  of  the  Virgin.  Between  them  he 
sees  a  perspective  of  red  and  white  walls,  domes,  and  pin- 
nacles which  thrills  him  with  expectation. 

"  And  so,  fully  prepared  in  mind  and  in  spirit,  awed 
and  exultant,  he  enters  Zion." 

Let  Dellenbaugh  now  describe  the  amphitheater  as  he 
saw  it : 

"  Coming  out  of  the  head  of  the  great  ravine  Into  the 
amphitheater  as  upon  the  floor  of  another  story,  the  mag- 
nificent series  of  pyramids  on  the  left  disclose  their  full 
majesty;  the  little  river  no  longer  frets  amidst  boulders, 
but  glides  with  a  concentrated  intensity.  To  the  west 
opens  a  deep  alcove,  aiding  to  form  this  huge  amphithea- 
ter. There  are  thick  groves  of  cottonwoods  in  the  wide, 
level  bottoms;  on  the  slopes  of  talus,  cacti  bloom  gor- 
geously; there  also  are  manzanita  with  its  rich  red  stem 
and  waxen  leaf,  sage-brush,  and  many  other  plants,  cedars 
and  pinyons.  The  blue  sky  above  again  touches  the  right 
chord  in  the  symphony.  Up  and  down,  east  and  west, 
extends  the  labrynthian  array  of  giant  rock-forms  so  mag- 
nificently sculptured,  so  ravishingly  tinted.  Again  we  are 
impressed  with  the  marvelous  beauty  of  outline,  as  well 
as  the  infinite  complication  of  these  Titanic  buttes.  It  is 
doubtful  if  in  this  respect  the  valley  has  anywhere  its 
equal.  Not  even  the  best  part  of  the  Grand  Canyon  offers 
a  more  varied  spectacle.  There  is  an  isolation  of  each 
temple  here  that  is  rare,  yet  all  are  welded  together  in  a 
superb  ensemble. 

"  A  little  farther  on  a  particularly  separated,  enormous 
composition  of  naked  rock  —  naked  like  all  the  others, 
except  for  a  scattering  of  pine  trees  on  the  extreme  sum- 


The  Opalescent  Valley — Zion  National  Park  185 

mits  or  along  some  precarious  ledge  —  shot  up  on  the 
left  in  the  semblance  of  some  Cyclopean  organ,  its  flutings 
brought  out  by  the  waning  sun  —  the  Temple  of  Aeolus." 

In  the  amphitheater,  in  a  shady  alcove  of  the  east  wall 
near  a  spring,  which  gives  a  wonderful  flow  of  cold,  pure 
water,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  W.  Wylie,  of  Yellowstone  Park 
fame,  established  in  1917,  their  hotel  camp.  To  those  who 
know  Wylie's  camps  nothing  further  need  be  said,  and 
others  may  safely  and  satisfactorily  take  them  on  trust, 
for  many  thousands,  in  the  years  they  were  in  the  Yellow- 
stone, learned  of  the  "  Wylie  Way,"  and  have  ever  since 
been  enthusiastic  boosters  for  its  directing  spirits.  While 
only  a  camp,  the  cottages  are  cosy  and  comfortable,  the 
dining  room  attractive,  and  Mrs.  Wylie's  genuine  and 
motherly  interest,  combined  with  the  excellent  home-cook- 
ing that  she  supervises,  at  once  gives  to  everyone  that 
restful  home-feeling  that  is  so  desirable  when  one  is 
traveling.* 

Sunrises  and  sunsets  alike  here  attract  the  observant 
visitor.     Dellenbaugh  was  enraptured : 

"  Never  could  the  valley  appear  more  resplendent  than 
on  that  beautiful  day  as  the  sun  streamed  out  of  the  west, 
sweeping  the  flanks  of  the  precipices  with  a  ruddy  bril- 
liance that  intensified  the  gorgeous  hues  tenfold,  while  the 
shadow  portions  grew  more  somber,  fading  at  a  dis- 
tance into  a  rich  cerulean  bloom,  broken  by  the  dark 
green  of  cottonwood  groves.  Surely  it  was  a  setting  for 
a  fairy  tale!" 

And  after  a  long  night's  rest,  calming  alike  to  mind  and 
body,  while  rain  poured  down  gently  over  the  rocks,  he 
was  equally  thrilled  with  the  effects  of  the  dawn : 

"  When  dawn  crept  shyly  in,  the  opalescence  was  veiled 
by  low-drifting  clouds.     The  vast  surfaces  of  bare  rock 

•It  should  also  be  observed  that  Mr.  Wylie  has  made  it  possible  for  travelers  to 
Zion  Canyon  to  return  by  way  of  the  Grand  Canyon  of  Arizona.  He  has  established 
a  camp  on  the  north  rim  of  the  Grand  Canyon,  opposite  El  Tovar  Hotel,  and  the 
trip  across  the  Canyon  to  the  Santa  Fe  railway  can  be  made  with  safety. 


isn       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

had  been  soaked  through  the  night,  and  now  we  saw  shin- 
ing cascades,  quivering  and  feathery,  dropping  down  from 
that  upper  world.  These  rain-cascades  may  be  seen 
throughout  the  wondrous  cHff-land  of  the  Southwest,  but 
those  of  Mukuntuweap,  and  some  I  saw  in  the  canyons  of 
the  Colorado,  are  the  highest  and  most  graceful  that  I 
remember." 

El  Gobernador,  so  called  by  Yard  in  his  book,  and  more 
generally  known  as  "  The  Great  White  Throne,"  is  about 
a  mile  above  Wylie's  camp  and  on  the  right  hand  side. 
It  is  a  colossal  truncated  cone,  3,000  feet  high,  the  lower 
2,000  feet  of  which  is  a  brilliant  red,  and  the  upper 
thousand  a  dazzling  white  in  the  clear  sunlight.  This  is 
the  one  object  chosen  by  W.  H.  Bull,  the  world-famed 
California  artist,  as  the  gem  —  his  chief  delight,  —  in 
Zion  Canyon.  His  masterly  portrayal  of  it  has  given 
great  delight  to  many  thousands. 

Almost  directly  opposite,  but  standing  out  somewhat 
from  the  main  wall  on  the  left,  as  a  buttress,  is  a  lesser 
monolith,  though  gigantic  and  impressive,  known  as  the 
Angel's  Landing.  This  is  the  subject  chosen  by  Orion 
Putnam,  of  Los  Angeles,  —  whose  artistic  photography 
has  made  him  world-famous,  and  whose  brush  is  now 
sure  to  win  him  later  laurels,  —  as  most  representative  of 
Zion  National  Park. 

This  varied  choice  of  subjects  by  different  artists  is 
wonderfully  illuminative,  in  that  it  shows  how  many- 
sided  is  this  canyon  in  its  appeal  to  artistic  natures.  There 
is  variety  enough  to  demand  the  homage  of  the  most 
diverse  tastes,  hence  the  universality  of  Zion's  appeal. 

A  mile  or  so  farther  up  the  canyon  and  Raspberry  Bend 
is  reached.  Here  is  located  the  cable,  or  "  wire,"  which 
every  visitor  is  interested  in  seeing. 

Dellenbaugh  thus  gives  its  history : 

"  The  frequent  mention  of  this  wire  in  conversation 
made  us  curious  to  know  about  it.    A  wire  was  a  strange 


The  Opalescent  Valley — Zion  National  Park  187 

thing  to  receive  so  much  attention.  Inquiry  revealed  that 
it  was  about  seven  miles  further  up  the  valley  (canyon), 
the  result  of  the  cogitations  of  a  Springclale  genius  and 
quite  an  engineering  feat  in  its  way.  A  trail  had  been 
built  at  the  point  mentioned  up  the  cliff  to  the  Colob  Pla- 
teau, for  the  purpose  of  enabling  the  Springdale  people 
to  drive  cattle  for  the  summer  to  the  heights  where  there 
is  good  grazing.  Immediately  to  the  right  of  this  trail  is 
a  well  nigh  vertical  cliff,  about  3,000  feet  up  from  its 
base.  On  the  top  of  this  cliff,  on  the  very  brink,  young 
Flanagan  constructed  a  windlass.  Down  below  he  built 
two  others  a  distance  apart,  around  the  three  he  suc- 
ceeded in  passing  a  series  of  wires  forming  a  continuous 
cable.  By  revolving  one  of  the  drums  the  wire  travels  up 
and  down,  and  objects  attached  to  the  descending  portion 
come  down  into  the  canyon,  while  objects  attached  to  the 
other  portion  are  made  to  ascend  to  the  rim.  By  this 
means  supplies  are  sent  up  to  men  staying  on  the  plateau, 
and  various  objects  are  passed  both  ways.  On  one  occa- 
sion a  wagon  was  taken  up  in  parts ;  on  another  a  dog  was 
treated  to  the  aerial  flight,  tied  in  a  basket.  It  was  a  week 
before  the  dog  recovered  fully,  and  since  that  time  the 
vicinity  of  the  wire  is  a  place  he  never  visits." 

There  is  a  trail  just  to  the  left  of  the  cable,  once  used  by 
the  Indians  in  their  sure-footed,  clear-eyed,  strong-lunged, 
perfect  heart-actioned  days.  It  is  related  that  one  of  the 
last  Indians  to  attempt  it  slipped  and  was  dashed  to  pieces 
on  the  rocks  below.  If  so,  he  was  a  partially  cilivized 
(please  note  the  spelling  and  pronunciation)  Indian,  and 
was  filled  with  "  Valley-tan "  or  some  other  equally 
demoralizing  brand,  or  he  was  an  old-timer,  wearied  with 
the  hideous  inconsistencies  of  white  men,  and  in  a  hurry 
to  get  to  his  fathers.  This  is  the  trail  referred  to  by  Del- 
lenbaugh.  In  time  it  will  doubtless  be  made  accessible  to 
the  ambitious  tourist,  but  at  present,  unless  he  is  daring, 
and  an  expert  rider,  it  is  better  to  take  it  on  foot.     Of 


1S8       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

course  I  am  well  aware  that  many  modern  tourists  will 
take  a  glance  at  the  cliff,  and  will  turn  away  with  disgust, 
assured  that  it  is  not  possible  to  build  a  trail  in  such  a  pre- 
cipitous place. 

Jklaking  the  curve,  away  from  the  cable,  one  finds  the 
Great  Organ.  It  requires  little  imagination  to  see  the 
fluted  pipes  and  immense  consol,  and  when  the  winds  blow 
down  the  canyon  real  music  is  produced  as  they  hurry 
through  the  cracks,  crevices  and  holes  that  Nature  has 
provided. 

Now  let  Dellenbaugh  take  us  up  to  the  Narrows : 
"  The  valley  so  rapidly  narrows  above  the  wire  that  it 
is  properly  a  canyon.  The  walls  shoot  up  sheer,  after  a 
talus  of  about  lOO  feet,  and  are  from  2,000  to  2,500  feet 
in  height,  with  occasional  towers  of  the  white  sandstone 
still  higher,  seen  through  breaks  in  the  red-wall  bends. 
The  color  is  deep  red  at  bottom,  with  black  streaks,  merg- 
ing into  grayish  white  or  whitish  gray  at  the  top.  Every 
few  hundred  yards  we  forded  the  swift  little  river,  the 
current  sometimes  making  the  horses  feel  rather  w^obbly 
under  one  as  they  slid  across  the  stony  bottom.  Around 
one  bend  we  saw,  through  a  break  in  the  cliff,  into  an 
alcove  formed  by  the  bend  above,  where  a  splendid  fall 
five  or  six  feet  wide  fell  at  least  800  feet,  swaying  in  the 
wind.  Ever  narrower  grew  the  canyon  as  we  advanced, 
the  vertical  cliffs  constantly  approaching,  till  one  felt  like 
the  prisoner  of  Tolfi,  '  in  that  rock-encircled  dungeon 
which  stood  alone,  and  whose  portals  never  opened  twice 
upon  a  living  captive.'  The  bottom  was  comparatively 
level,  and  at  the  wire  about  800  feet  wide.  This  width 
fell  to  about  forty  feet  at  the  point  we  finally  reached, 
where  farther  advance  was  next  to  impossible  at  the  stage 
of  water  prevailing.  Finally,  by  plunging  once  more  across 
the  stream,  now  more  concentrated,  and  back  again  to  the 
east  bank,  I  succeeded  in  dragging  my  horses  along  talus 
and  through  underbrush  till  I  looked  straight  into  the  jaws 


The  Opalescent  Valley — Zion  National  Park  189 

of  the  narrowing  chasm  through  which  the  river  enters 
the  valley." 

Dr.  G.  K.  Gilbert,  who  early  made  a  geological  study  of 
Mukuntuweap,  thus  describes  this  part  of  Zion,  and  gives 
the  scientific  explanation  of  the  canyon's  existence : 

"  At  the  water's  edge  the  walls  are  perpendicular,  but  in 
the  deeper  parts  they  open  out  toward  the  top.  As  we 
entered  and  found  our  outlook  of  sky  contracted  —  as  we 
had  never  before  seen  if  between  canyon  cliffs  —  I  meas- 
ured the  aperture  above,  and  found  it  thirty-five  degrees. 
We  had  thought  this  a  minimum,  but  soon  discovered  our 
error.  Nearer  and  nearer  the  walls  approached  and  our 
strip  of  blue  narrowed  down  to  twenty  degrees,  then  ten, 
and  at  last  was  even  intercepted  by  the  overhanging  rocks. 
There  was,  perhaps,  no  point  from  which,  neither  for- 
ward nor  backward,  could  we  discover  a  patch  of  sky, 
but  many  times  our  upward  view  was  completely  cut  off 
by  the  interlocking  of  the  walls,  which  remaining  nearly 
parallel  to  each  other,  warped  in  and  out  as  they 
ascended." 

Then  he  tells  us  how  Nature  made  Zion  and  the  other 
similar  canyons  of  the  region: 

"  As  a  monument  of  denudation,  this  chasm  is  an  exam- 
ple of  downward  erosion  by  sand-bearing  water.  The 
principle  on  which  the  cutting  depends  is  almost  identical 
with  that  of  the  marble  saw,  but  the  sand  grains,  instead 
of  being  embedded  in  rigid  iron,  are  carried  by  a  flexible 
stream  of  water.  By  gravity  they  have  been  held  against 
the  bottom  of  the  cut,  so  that  they  should  make  it  vertical, 
but  the  current  has  carried  them,  in  places,  against  one 
side  or  the  other,  and  so  far  modified  the  influence  of 
gravity  that  the  cut  undulates  somewhat  in  its  vertical  sec- 
tion, as  well  as  in  its  horizontal." 

Yard  then  eloquently  concludes : 

"  This,  then,  is  how  Nature  began,  on  the  original  sur- 
face of  the  plateau,  perhaps  with  the  output  of  a  spring 


190       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

shower,  to  dig  this  whole  mighty  spectacle  for  our  enjoy- 
ment today.  We  may  go  further.  We  may  imagine  the 
beginning  of  the  titanic  process  that  dug  the  millions  of 
millions  of  chasms,  big  and  little,  contributing  to  the 
mighty  Colorado,  that  dug  the  Grand  Canyon  itself,  that 
reduced  to  the  glorified  thing  it  now  is  the  enormous  pla- 
teau of  our  great  southwest,  which  would  have  been  many 
thousands  of  feet  higher  than  the  highest  pinnacle  of 
Zion  had  not  erosion  more  than  counteracted  the  uplifting 
of  the  plateau." 

There  is  a  little  confusion  in  the  minds  of  some  people 
as  to  the  spelling  of  the  name,  "  Virgin  "  or  "  Virgen  " 
River.  There  need  be  no  difficulty.  The  name  originally 
was  bestowed  by  the  Spaniards.  It  was  the  Rio  Virgen  — 
the  Spanish  form.  When  one  writes  thus  it  should  be 
spelled  as  the  Spaniards  spell,  with  an  "  e."  But  if  one 
Anglicizes  it  and  makes  of  it  the  Virgin  River,  it  is  cor- 
rect to  spell  it  with  an  "i," 

Zion  Canyon  makes  such  an  impression  upon  its  vis- 
itors that  they  are  not  content  merely  with  describing  the 
wonders  within  its  confines.  The  fact  is,  the  whole  coun- 
try surrounding  it  is  vividly  wonderful  in  so  many  phases 
that  even  with  its  glories  just  "  in  one's  eye  "  he  is  pro- 
foundly impressed  as  he  observes  it  in  leaving  Zion, 
Many  scientific  and  artistic  visitors  have  written  their 
impressions,  but  I  know  of  none  that  equal  those  of 
Dellenbaugh  and  Button,  both  of  which  are  here 
given  as  a  fitting  end  to  this  chapter.  Here  is  what  Del- 
lenbaugh says : 

"  All  too  soon  we  passed  beyond  its  giant  gates,  swing- 
ing around  the  southern  foot  of  the  Great  Temple,  and 
arrived  at  Rockville,  where,  for  the  last  time  we  forded 
the  river.  With  the  help  of  an  extra  team,  our  wagon 
was  towed  up  the  long  *  dugway '  surmounting  the  thou- 
sand feet  of  precipice  that  bind  the  valley  immediately  on 
the  south,  and  on  top  of  which  our  path  lay  off  into 


The  Opalescent  Valley — Zion  National  Park  191 

Arizona,  across  broad  plains.  Mounting,  ever  mounting, 
the  valley,  the  fields,  diminish  below;  cliffs  that  seemed 
great  melt  away;  others  keep  us  company  in  their  stead; 
while  still  others  tower  to  touch  the  sky,  with  everywhere 
and  always  the  Great  Temple  the  chief  note  in  the  scale. 
At  last  we  were  on  the  top,  amidst  a  bewilderingly  mag- 
nificent scene.  The  whole  marvelous  landscape  circled 
around  us  now  in  one  immense  sweep,  weird  and  wild  to 
the  last  degree,  with  apparently  no  human  life  but  ours 
within  the  vast  radius  of  our  vision.  Mountain,  canyon, 
cliff,  pinnacle,  valley,  and  temple  stood  forth,  naked  as  in 
those  first  hours  when  lifted  out  of  the  enveloping  seas; 
(but  sculptured  since  then  into  the  glorious  variety  of 
form  now  presented)  a  wonderful,  an  appalling  wilder- 
ness, of  which  Zion,  the  Opalescent  Valley,  is  the  heart 
and  culmination.  For  hours,  as  we  traveled,  this  all  per- 
vading panorama,  so  varied  and  stupendous  in  outline  and 
color,  threw  its  enchantment  around  us.  Then  nearer 
high  cliffs  veiled  the  Great  Temple,  its  sky-swept  crown 
of  Vermillion  vanished,  and  with  it  all  the  kaleidoscopic 
legion  of  Zion." 

Button  thus  describes  this  outward  view  from  the 
mouth  of  Zion : 

"  From  these  highly  wrought  groups  In  the  center  of 
the  picture  the  eye  escapes  to  the  westward  along  a  mass 
of  cliffs  and  buttes  covered  with  the  same  profusion  of 
decoration  as  the  walls  of  the  temples  and  of  the  Paru- 
nuweap.  Their  color  is  brilliant  red.  Much  imagination 
is  imparted  to  this  part  of  the  scene  by  the  wandering 
courses  of  the  mural  fronts  which  have  little  continuity 
and  not  definite  trend.  The  Triassic  terrace  out  of  which 
they  have  been  carved  is  cut  into  by  broad  amphitheaters 
and  slashed  in  all  directions  by  wide  canyon  valleys.  The 
resulting  escarpments  stretch  their  courses  in  every  direc- 
tion, here  fronting  toward  us,  there  averted ;  now  receding 


1 0-       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

behind  a  nearer  mass,  and  again  emerging  from  an 
unseen  alcove.  Far  to  the  westward,  twenty  miles  away, 
is  seen  the  last  palisade  lifting  its  imposing  front  behind 
a  mass  of  towers  and  domes  to  an  altitude  of  probably 
near  3,000  feet  and  with  a  grandeur  which  the  distance 
cannot  dispel.  Beyond  it  the  scenery  changes  almost 
instantly,  for  it  passes  at  once  into  the  Great  Basin,  which, 
to  this  region,  is  as  another  world." 


CHAPTER  XII 

BRYCE  CANYON,  AN  AMPHITHEATER  OF  EROSION 

A  few  miles  from  Panguitch,  at  the  head  of  a  wide  and 
deep  canyon,  is  found  this  remarkable  amphitheater  of 
erosion  as  yet  known  only  by  the  undescriptive  cognomen 
of  Bryce  Canyon.  Like  the  Grand  Canyon  one  reaches 
it  unexpectedly  so  that  its  magnificent  and  brilliantly  col- 
ored panorama  is  revealed  as  a  great  surprise.  Acres  and 
acres  of  ground  here  seem  to  be  formed  of  a  soft  mate- 
rial, highly  colored  but  mainly  red,  into  which  the  rains 
and  storms  of  past  centuries  have  cut  down  and  down, 
until  there  are  left  standing,  literally,  hundreds,  possibly 
thousands,  of  columns,  twisted  towers,  weird  turrets, 
scores,  hundreds  of  feet  deep.  Talk  about  fantasy  and 
bewilderment  —  they  are  here  personified.  One  could 
easily  disbelieve  his  own  eyes.    As  one  has  described  it : 

"  Here  are  over  three  square  miles  of  highly  colored 
and  quaintly  carved  obelisks,  pilasters,  pillars,  towers, 
kiosks,  and  other  features  in  great  variety,  with  colors  of 
the  rarest  combination  and  delicacies  because  of  the  vary- 
ing reflection,  absorption  and  transmission  of  the  light  by 
native  brown,  ochre,  pink  and  gray  masses  in  a  varying 
illumination  of  bronze,  orange,  yellow,  white,  rose  and 
red,  spread  across  the  chameleon-like  abyss,  lending 
unusual  life  to  the  geological  forms." 

It  is  entirely  caused  by  simple  erosive  forces.  The 
rock  stratum  of  which  these  forms  are  composed  is  of 
very  soft  material.  Resting  upon  it,  however,  in  the  ages 
long  gone  by  was  a  harder  stratum  which  capped  this 

193 


1 04       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

softer  one.  There  were  places,  however,  in  this  cap, 
which,  in  time,  succumbed  to  rain,  frost,  snow,  and  split, 
ihus  enabling  water  to  penetrate  and  begin  its  work  of 
washing  down  and  away  the  stratum  beneath.  Some  of 
these  pillars  are  fifty,  sixty  and  even  eighty  feet  in  height, 
yet  trails  have  been  cut  down  from  the  rim  to  the  bottom 
of  the  canyon,  so  that  one  may  descend  and  view  these 
unique  structures  from  below.  It  is  an  experience  never 
to  be  forgotten,  for  everything  is  so  near  that  its  dimen- 
sions are  magnified  and  one  feels  he  really  is  wandering 
in  some  tunneled  land  of  rare  enchantment. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

MODERN  IRRIGATION  AND  THE  MORMONS 

In  my  Reclaiming  the  Arid  West,^  I  sought  to  give  to 
Major  John  Wesley  Powell,  —  the  organizing  genius  of 
the  United  States  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  of  the  United 
States  Geological  Survey,  and,  in  all  of  its  earlier  stages, 
of  the  United  States  Reclamation  Service,  —  the  honor 
due  him  as  the  Father  of  Federal  Irrigation  Methods  on 
a  large  scale. 

But  I  did  not  there  seek  to  trace  out  those  influences 
that  had  interested  him  in  the  subject,  and  given  him  the 
vision.  That  many  influences  worked  to  produce  the 
result  there  can  be  no  doubt.  Powell  was  a  man  of 
gigantic  intellect,  a  great  reader,  a  close  observer,  and 
habituated  to  meeting  men  of  science,  travel,  refinement 
and  culture.  From  his  general  reading,  no  doubt,  he  had 
gained  knowledge  of  the  wonders  of  irrigation  in  the  arid 
lands  of  the  Orient.  Then,  when,  in  his  geological  studies 
he  decided  to  explore  the  canyons  of  the  Colorado  River, 
he  was  brought  into  immediate  contact  with  the  arid  lands 
of  Colorado,  Wyoming,  Arizona,  New  Mexico  and  Utah. 
It  was  in  1869- 1870- 1-2,  that  he  made  his  two  memorable 
trips  down  the  Colorado  and  its  tributaries.  On  one  of 
those  trips  he  left  the  Colorado  at  Kanab  Wash  and  came 
out  through  the  settlements  of  southern  and  central 
Utah  to  Salt  Lake  City,  there  to  return  East. 

The  importance  of  this  trip  through  the  Mormon  settle- 

*Redaiming  the  Arid  West:     the  work  of  the  U.  S.  Reclamation  Service,  with  many 
illustrations.     Dodd,  Mead  &  Co. 

195 


190       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

mcnts,  where  he  saw  irrigation  methods  in  active  opera- 
tion upon  thousands  of  acres,  cannot  be  over  estimated. 
Perhaps  no  one  can  ever  know  for  certain,  but  is  it  not 
highly  probable  that  it  was  on  this  trip  he  gained  that 
wonderful  vision  that  ultimately  led  to  the  organization  of 
the  United  States  Reclamation  Service,  and  the  improve- 
ment of  the  lives  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  American 
citizens  by  making  their  location  upon  irrigated  public 
lands  a  reality.  Anyhow  the  fact  is  plain  that  from  that 
date  he  began  his  studies  of  the  Arid  Region,  and  to 
formulate  plans  for  their  reclamation.  These  studies  ulti- 
mated  in  the  publication,  in  1878,  of  his  Report  on  the 
Lands  of  the  Arid  Region.  As  I  wrote  in  Reclaiming 
the  Arid  West,  page  2 : 

"  No  one  can  read  this  today,  over  forty  years  after  it 
was  published,  without  being  profoundly  impressed  by 
the  far-seeing  wisdom  and  sagacity  of  its  author.  In  it 
he  shows  two  great  advantages  of  irrigation,  viz. : 
I.  That  crops  thus  cultivated  are  not  subject  to  the  vicis- 
situdes of  rainfall,  and  2.  The  water  for  irrigation  gen- 
erally comes  dow^n  from  the  mountains  and  plateaus 
freighted  or  charged  wath  fertilizing  materials  gathered 
from  the  decaying  vegetable  matter  and  soil  of  the  higher 
regions." 

Viewing  all  these  facts  in  the  order  thus  presented  it 
seems  to  me  self  evident  that  Powell  largely  owed  this 
inspiration  upon  irrigation  to  the  untutored  Mormons, 
those  daring  and  brave  men  who  had  fled  the  East  and 
Europe  and  had  settled  in  the  hitherto  unknown  valleys  of 
Utah,  for  it  was  in  1847,  July  24,  that  Brigham  Young 
and  the  pioneer  band  of  Mormons  entered  Salt  Lake  Val- 
ley. In  spite  of  the  fact  that,  the  day  before,  when  he 
looked  down  from  the  Wasatch  ramparts  on  the  east,  he 
had  gazed  upon  an  arid  waste,  barren  and  uninviting,  a 
desert  of  sage-brush  and  sunflowers,  without  a  tree  to 
cheer  excepting  only  the  few  gnarled  cottonwoods  that 


Modern  Irrigation  and  the  Mormons     197 

marked  the  trickling  course  of  the  mountain  streams,  he 
had  exclaimed  with  all  the  assurance  of  a  Prophet :  "  This 
is  the  Place."  Had  he  seen  it  in  a  dream?  Had  it  been  a 
definite  revelation  from  God?  Was  it  the  snap  decision 
of  the  moment,  afterwards  confirmed  by  Nature,  and 
arduous  labor  ?  Let  the  answers  be  what  they  may,  there 
is  no  denying  the  fact  of  history,  viz.,  that  that  momen- 
tous decision  revealed  the  highest  wisdom  —  the  intuitive 
perception  of  what  no  one  could  possibly  have  known  by 
any  earthly  knowledge  of  experience  or  comparison. 

Assured  that  he  was  divinely  guided  Brigham  Young 
sent  ahead  a  small  detachment  of  his  followers  with 
instructions  to  plow  and  plant  immediately.  The  year  was 
far  advanced,  near  the  end  of  July  —  and  there  must  be 
no  delay  if  any  crop  was  to  be  garnered  before  winter, 
yet,  though  the  most  promising  site  was  selected,  the  sun- 
baked soil  was  too  hard  to  yield  to  the  persuasive  influence 
of  the  plow.  To  many  this  would  have  been  an  omen  of 
disaster;  Nature  refusing  to  yield  a  foot  of  this  virgin 
soil  to  the  invader.  But  to  these  stalwart  Mormons  it  had 
the  very  opposite  effect.  Obstacles,  difficulties,  rebuffs 
were  but  given  to  try  their  mettle,  to  determine  the  qual- 
ity of  their  manhood,  and,  before  the  day  was  over,  the 
beginning  of  a  dam  had  been  made  across  the  little  stream, 
and  the  following  day  saw  the  area  selected  flooded  and 
softening  under  the  benign  influences  of  water  and  sun. 
This  work  accomplished,  the  field  was  plowed  and  pota- 
toes, corn,  and  other  e'dibles  planted,  after  which  the 
ground  was  given  another  irrigation,  and  later,  still 
another,  as  the  conditions  indicated  the  need,  and  thus,  .  jss>* 
in  Utah,  modern  irrigation  began.  ^^-  ^     ^^ 

Whence  gained  Brigham  Young  and  his  followers  their 
knowledge  of  this  essential  method  for  making  the  desert 
blossom  as  a  rose?  Was  he  a  deep  student  of  history,  a 
great  traveler,  and  familiar  with  irrigation  methods  of 
India,  China,  Persia,  Egypt  and  Asia  Minor?     His  was 


198       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

that  type  of  mind  that,  given  an  idea,  he  could  grasp  its 
import  instantly,  he  could  see  possibilities  and  probabil- 
ities eventuate  in  his  mind's  eye,  and  this  power  com- 
bined with  what  might  be  termed  the  colossal  audacity  of 
a  tremendous  and  gripping  faith  in  God  the  Almighty, 
gave  to  Brigham  Young  a  power  of  command  and  leader- 
ship in  this  matter  of  irrigation  that  few,  even  among 
the  most  studious  of  Mormons  have  fully  recognized. 

For,  as  soon  as  the  first  establishment  near  the  Great 
Salt  Lake  was  made,  he  sent  out  various  bands,  in  various 
directions,  to  spy  out  the  land.  These  men  were  com- 
manded to  treat  the  Indians  with  kindness,  for  did  not  the 
Book  of  Mormon  reveal  that  they  constitute  a  distinct 
branch  of  the  House  of  Israel?  They  were  required  also 
to  find  all  arable  areas,  and  discover  everything  that  a 
speedy  survey  could  reveal  of  all  streams,  springs  and 
other  sources  of  water  supply. 

As  these  bands  reported.  Mormon  immigrants  were 
pouring  into  Salt  Lake  City,  and,  making  the  swift  deci- 
sions of  a  born  leader  of  men,  Brigham  Young  allotted 
certain  lands  and  streams  to  certain  companies,  and,  almost 
before  they  had  rested  and  recuperated  from  their  arduous 
labor  in  crossing  the  plains,  sent  them  forth  to  possess 
and  cultivate  them  and  establish  their  homes  thereupon. 

See  the  sublime  faith  of  these  people  in  their  leader. 
Impostor,  his  enemies  may  choose  to  regard  him,  but  he 
was  able  to  infuse  his  followers  with  unquenchable  enthu- 
siasm, —  for  only  such  a  spirit  could  have  led  these  people 
gathered  from  the  cities  and  towns  of  the  East  and 
Europe,  as  well  as  from  the  villages,  to  go  forth  into  the 
Deserts,  and  there  plow  and  harrow  the  ground,  sow  the 
seed,  and  then  use  the  untried  and  unknown  methods  of 
irrigation,  to  make  their  crops  grow.  In  this  way  Jordan 
River  Valley,  Ogden,  Provo,  all  the  region  of  the  Utah 
Lake  Drainage  System,  Spanish  Fork  River  Valley,  the 
Weber  Valley,  the  Basin  of  the  Virgin  River,  the  Valley 


Modern  Irrigation  and  the  Mormons     199 

of  Sevier  River,  and  the  Logan  River  country,  were 
settled.  Towns,  cities  and  villages  rapidly  sprang  up,  as 
the  farms  were  developed,  and  as  cattle,  horses,  mules 
and  sheep  roamed  the  hills  and  canyons.  It  goes  without 
saying  there  were  hard  times  in  those  early  days,  yet  it  is 
notable  that  the  pioneers  seldom,  if  ever,  lost  their  faith 
or  their  courage,  and  the  persistence  of  their  labor  ulti- 
mately gained  for  them  the  victory  of  great  success. 

The  year  1848  was  one  of  deep  trial  and  faith-testing 
of  those  immigrants  who  settled  in  the  Salt  Lake  Valley. 
The  harvest  of  1847  was  scant,  and  great  hopes  were  cen- 
tered upon  the  crops  for  1848.  Eagerly  the  farmers  — 
aye,  and  their  wives  and  older  children  —  watched  the 
sprouting  grain,  and  prayed  for  its  protection  until  fully 
matured.  For  a  time  all  seemed  well,  God's  favor  was  smil- 
ing upon  them,  the  fields  were  growing  richly  towards  an 
abundant  harvest,  when,  suddenly,  the  air  to  the  east  and 
north  was  darkened  as  by  a  coming  storm,  and  down  from 
the  mountain  heights  there  descended  a  flood  —  not  of 
rain  or  hail  —  but  of  Rocky  Mountain  crickets.  As  they 
came  down  the  canyons  and  fertile  slopes  they  devoured 
everything  before  them.  Not  a  leaf  on  a  tree,  a  blade  of 
grass,  a  weed,  a  green  thing  of  any  kind  escaped.  Con- 
sternation filled  every  heart.  Had  God  deserted  them? 
Were  the  plagues  of  Egypt  to  be  let  loose  upon  them? 
Could  nothing  be  done  ?  While  some,  doubtless,  knelt  and 
prayed,  those  who  deemed  themselves  more  practical  gath- 
ered together  in  bands  —  men,  women  and  children  — ■ 
and  with  sticks,  sacks,  old  garments,  met  the  living  flood 
in  the  hope  of  arresting  its  progress.  Stark,  certain 
famine  stared  them  in  the  face,  and  they  worked  with  the 
desperation  of  despair.  But  on  came  the  flood  I  No 
sooner  was  one  cloud- full  met  and  slain  than  another 
emptied  itself  upon  them,  and  the  storm  seemed  endless. 

When,  suddenly  —  ah!  is  the  age  of  miracles  past? 
Does  God  especially  intervene  now-a-days  in  the  affairs  of 


200      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

men?  The  answer  is  found  in  men's  own  conceptions. 
I  simply  record  the  facts.  When  tlie  hearts  of  the  pio- 
neers were  breaking  with  despair,  when  their  bodies  were 
too  exhausted  to  struggle  further,  a  new  cloud  arose  in  the 
JVcst,  which  soon  resolved  itself  into  a  flock  of  sea-gulls 
from  the  lake,  which  fell  upon  the  crickets  and  swallowed 
them  as  fast  as  they  fell.  Millions  upon  millions  were 
thus  destroyed. 

But  I  can  imagine  the  gloom  of  the  pessimists  who  still 
saw  the  eastern  clouds  dark  and  lowering.  What  would 
become  of  them  when  the  gulls  had  eaten  their  fill?  Then, 
surely,  their  fields  would  be  devastated.  The  supposition 
seemed  reasonable!  But  no!  God,  Nature,  Providence 
does  not  always  do  now  what  seems  reasonable  to  some 
men,  though  He  may  to  others.  As  fast  as  the  gulls 
gorged  themselves,  they  spent  a  few  moments  in  dis- 
gorging, and  then  set  to  with  greater  appetites  than  before, 
until,  at  last,  even  that  apparently  invincible,  because 
innumerable  army,  was  totally  destroyed. 

That  the  Mormons  were  not  unmindful  of  the  part 
played  by  the  sea-gulls  in  their  salvation  from  famine  is 
evidenced  by  the  Sea-Gull  Monument  in  the  Temple 
grounds,  in  Salt  Lake  City.  This  was  ordered  by  the 
church  authorities  of  Mahonri  M.  Young,  a  grandson  of 
Brigham  Young.  It  is  a  fine  piece  of  work,  giving  bas- 
reliefs  of  the  story,  and  with  the  most  graceful  flying  gull 
surmounting  the  column.  Artists  the  world  over  regard 
this  as  the  work  of  a  genius  and  such,  certainly,  Mr. 
Young  should  be  regarded. 

It  was  unveiled  October  i,  191 3,  before  a  large  gath- 
ering of  people  among  whom  were  found  many  of  the  pio- 
neers who  saw  the  scourge  of  crickets  and  witnessed  the 
gulls  as  they  destroyed  them,  who  were  delighted  thus  to 
have  the,  to  them,  miraculous  deliverance  commemorated. 

When  the  Utah  pioneers  first  began  their  reclamation 
of  the  desert   valleys  by  plowing  and  irrigating,  their 


Modern  Irrigation  and  the  Mormons     201 

methods,  naturally,  were  simple  and  primitive.  All  work 
had  to  be  done  personally  and  speedily.  There  were  few 
laborers,  and  time  was  an  important  factor.  In  the  con- 
struction of  their  dams  and  canals,  therefore,  they  were 
perforce  driven  to  co-operative  methods.  In  no  other 
way  could  they  have  overcome  the  obstacles  before  them. 

Then,  too,  it  is  evident  that  when  there  were  few  to 
make  demands  for  the  water  of  a  stream  all  could  be  sup- 
plied. But  as  the  population  increased,  and  demands  mul- 
tiplied, methods  necessarily  changed.  The  results  are, 
therefore,  that  the  history  of  the  development  of  the  irri- 
gation systems  of  Utah  are  of  great  importance,  in  reveal- 
ing the  influences  that  have  molded  them  and  made  them 
what  they  are.  In  order  to  set  these  facts  forward  for 
the  benefit  of  the  irrigation  world,  the  government  pub- 
lished a  comprehensive  work,  entitled :  Report  of  Irriga- 
tion Investigations  in  Utah,  under  the  direction  of  Elwood 
Mead.  It  is  a  book  of  330  pages  and  many  illustrations 
and  clearly  outlines  how  the  Utah  systems  of  irrigation 
grew  out  of  the  necessities  of  the  various  cases. 

Several  of  these  interesting  features  could  well  be 
studied  with  profit  by  people  in  other  arid  states : 

"  Chief  among  these  is  its  system  of  defining  the  extent 
of  water  rights.  Most  of  the  rights  to  Utah's  streams 
were  initiated  without  public  supervision  and  hence  were 
not  defined  as  to  extent,  and  when  they  came  up  for 
definition  the  question  naturally  arose  as  to  what  should 
determine  the  extent  of  rights.  The  general  principle 
announced  in  the  law  of  1880  was  that  all  parties  should 
have  the  right  to  use  water  as  they  had  done  in  the  past. 
In  addition,  the  law  provided  that  these  rights  should  be 
measured  as  follows : 

"  *  A  right  to  the  use  of  water  may  be  measured  by 
fractional  parts  of  the  whole  source  of  supply,  or  by  frac- 
tional parts  with  a  limitation  as  to  periods  of  time  when 
used,  or  intended  to  be  used;  or  it  may  be  measured  by 


20'2       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 


cubic  inches,  with  a  Hmitation  specifying  the  depth,  width, 
and  decHnation  of  the  water  at  point  of  measurement,  and 
if  necessary,  with  further  hmitations  as  to  periods  of  time 
when  used,  or  intended  to  be  used/ 

"  The  other  arid  states  have  followed  the  general  prin- 
ciple announced  by  this  law,  but  not  the  section  of  the  law 
quoted  above.    The  practice  in  those  states  is  to  define  a 
right  as  a  volume  alone,  giving  the  holder  of  the  right 
the  privilege  of  using  that  volume  of  water  at  any  or  all 
times.    Under  such  a  practice,  holders  of  early  rights  who 
have  used  water  for  only  a  short  period  each  year  may 
later  enlarge  their  use  to  the  great  injury  of  later  comers 
but  who  found  plenty  of  unused  water  when  they  came. 
Under  the  Utah  law  the  earlier  rights  of  such  holders  are 
limited  as  to  time  as  well  as  quantity,  and  later  comers  are 
safe  from  an  enlarged  use  under  the  older  right.    The  law 
of  1903  changed  the  old  system  in  this  respect:   It  pro- 
vides for  the  defining  of  all  rights  in  terms  of  cubic  feet 
per  second  rather  than  in  fractional  parts  of  the  whole 
supply,  but  retains  the  provision  for  limiting  them  as  to 
time.    The  granting  of  rights  to  continuous  flow  has  been 
the  source  of  more  injustice  and  controversy  in  the  arid 
states  than  any  other  one  cause,  and  Utah  has  avoided  all 
this  by  her  provision  for  limiting  rights  as  to  time." 

In  the  early  days  the  irrigation  ditches  were  small,  and 
the  work  done  in  the  simplest  and  easiest  way  to  produce 
immediate  results.  It  was  not  until  1865  that  the  Legis- 
lature passed  an  act  for  the  incorporation  of  irrigation 
companies.  It  was  expected  that  development  would  be 
more  thorough  and  permanent  after  that  time,  but  the 
law  failed  to  empower  the  companies  or  districts  to  issue 
bonds  and  this  failure  practically  reduced  the  law  to  use- 
lessness,  and  in  1897  it  was  repealed.  Hence  the  old 
method  is  still  largely  in  operation. 

"  The  typical  form  of  canal  company  in  Utah  is  the 
co-operative  stock  company.    The  capital  stock  of  such  a 


Modern  Irrigation  and  the  Mormons     203 

company  is  issued  in  payment  for  work  or  for  money,  and 
is  usually  owned  by  the  owners  of  the  lands  to  be  irri- 
gated by  the  canal,  although  outsiders  sometimes  subscribe 
for  stock.  In  the  Virgin  River  district  the  Mormon 
Church  subscribed  for  stock  for  the  purpose  of  helping 
the  people  of  that  valley  to  complete  an  extensive  canal. 
The  stockholders  elect  a  board  of  directors  and  offi- 
cers, who  have  immediate  control  of  the  canal  and 
who  transact  the  business  of  the  company.  All  ex- 
penses of  management  and  operation  of  the  canal  are 
met  by  annual  assessments  on  the  stock.  These  assess- 
ments, like  the  original  price  of  the  stock,  are  largely 
paid  in  work.  The  water  furnished  by  the  canal 
is  divided  among  the  stockholders  in  proportion  to 
the  stock  held  by  each,  and  no  water  is  furnished 
to  others  than  stockholders,  but  stock  may  be  sold  or 
rented,  and  the  w^ater  delivered  to  the  new  party.  It  is 
thus  possible  for  stock  to  be  owned  by  those  not  owning 
land  under  the  canal,  and  for  the  stock  to  accumulate  in  a 
few  hands,  but  so  far  neither  of  these  tendencies  has  mani- 
fested itself. 

"  A  modification  of  this  plan  is  known  as  the  incorpo- 
ration of  a  stream.  Under  this  plan  all  parties  who  have 
acquired  rights  to  a  stream  deed  their  rights  to  the  com- 
pany which  is  to  control  the  stream.  In  return  for  this 
they  receive  stock  in  the  company,  usually  in  proportion 
to  the  area  of  land  which  each  was  irrigating  with  water 
from  the  stream.  Members  of  such  a  company  express 
their  interest  in  the  company  as  so  many  '  acres  of  water 
right.'  The  companies  are  managed  like  the  other 
co-operative  companies." 

There  is  another  phase  of  this  subject  that  should  be  pre- 
sented. In  California,  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  Texas,  and 
all  the  semi-arid  states  where  water  has  had  to  be  relied 
upon  for  irrigation  there  have  been  countless  quarrels  of 
a  serious  nature,  culminating  in  hundreds  of  murders, 


204       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

over  the  right  to  springs,  tanks,  and  flowing  water.  I 
could  name  offhand  a  large  number  of  novels  whose  main 
theme  has  been  the  fight  between  rival  claimants  for 
water  for  stock  or  irrigation.  Yet  it  is  a  known  fact 
that  in  Utah,  from  1848  to  as  late  as  1900  —  say,  a 
period  of  fifty  years  —  there  were  practically  few  quar- 
rels over  irrigation  water,  and  few  of  them  of  a  serious 
nature.  The  reason  for  that  is  thus  clearly  stated  by 
Professor  Mead : 

"  The  influence  of  the  Mormon  Church  in  shaping  and 
promoting  agricultural  development  has  given  to  the  irri- 
gation system  of  Utah  many  interesting  and  unique  fea- 
tures. In  the  early  years  of  settlement  there  was  no  legal 
provision  for  acquiring  legal  titles  either  to  land  or  water, 
and  without  the  supervision  of  the  church  authorities,  act- 
ing as  arbiters  and  advisers,  there  would  have  been  no 
rule  except  that  of  force.  With  few  exceptions,  contro- 
versies were  settled  as  they  arose,  without  friction,  so  that 
irrigated  Utah  was  for  many  years  a  land  of  homes 
almost  free  from  incumbrance  and  of  industrial  institu- 
tions well  suited  to  the  arid  West." 

Since  about  1900,  however,  the  growing  value  of  water 
for  power  purposes,  the  greater  demand  of  cities  and 
towns  for  domestic  supplies,  the  lack  of  unity  in  religious 
faith,  owing  to  the  constant  influx  and  settlement  of  non- 
Mormons,  have  rendered  it  imperative  that  some  law,  or 
laws,  be  established,  giving  legal  title  to  water  and  ensur- 
ing protection  to  such  title  in  times  of  scarcity.  These 
laws  were  provided  in  1903  and  Utah  has  long  enjoyed 
the  peace  and  security  that  come  to  her  citizens  as 
the  result. 

There  are  still  many  thousands  of  desert  acres  that  can 
be  successfully  and  profitably  cultivated  if  sufficient  water 
can  be  found  for  irrigation.  In  most  cases,  however,  this 
would  imply  the  establishment  of  irrigation  systems  of 
tremendous  cost  that  v/ould  be  far  beyond  the  power  of 


Modern  Irrigation  and  the  Mormons     205 

private  enterprise.  Hence  the  United  States  Reclamation 
Service  is  slowly,  but  surely,  grappling  with  these  larger 
problems.  Already  there  is  one  Reclamation  Service 
project  in  Utah.  It  is  located  in  Utah  and  Wasatch  coun- 
ties, and  is  called  the  Strawberry  Valley  Project,  because 
its  reservoir  is  located  in  the  valley  of  that  name.  The 
irrigable  area  is  about  4,600  feet  above  sea-level,  and  the 
temperature  ranges  from  10°  to  95°  Fahr.,  hence  it  can 
readily  be  seen  that  the  scale  of  vegetable  products  is  very 
limited,  comprising  in  fact  mainly  alfalfa,  hay,  cereals, 
sugar-beets  and  the  hardier  fruits  and  vegetables. 

Water  is  stored  in  the  reservoir,  then  discharged 
through  a  three  and  three-quarter  mile  long  tunnel,  driven 
through  the  Wasatch  range  into  Diamond  Fork,  a  tribu- 
tary of  Spanish  Fork.  Electric  power  is  developed  and 
the  project  furnishes  full  or  partial  water  to  70,000  acres 
in  Utah  county. 

Thus  the  good  work  of  irrigation  goes  on.  What  the 
future  has  in  store  for  Utah  in  this  regard,  it  is  yet  too 
early  to  prophesy,  but  it  is  perfectly  safe  to  say  that  as 
thousands  of  acres  in  the  past  have  been  reclaimed  from 
the  desert  and  made  to  blossom  as  the  rose,  so  wall  the 
future  see  as  many  more  equally  reclaimed,  when  all  the 
water  of  the  state  is  impounded  and  used  for  this  benef- 
icent purpose. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

MINES  AND  THE  ORE  DEPOSITS  OF  UTAH 

One  might  wonder  what  Brigham  Young  would  have 
said  could  he  have  seen,  in  his  day,  the  book  entitled, 
The  Ore  Deposits  of  Utah.  It  consists  of  672  quarto 
pages,  with  many  ilkistrations,  maps  and  diagrams,  and 
was  issued  by  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  in 
1920.  In  it  all  the  existing  mining  districts  of  the  state 
are  described  with  careful  accuracy  and  reasonable  full- 
ness, and  a  general  survey  is  given  of  the  ore  deposits  of 
those  regions  where  no  actual  mining  is  now  going  on. 
Whether  such  a  book  would  have  changed  the  great  Mor- 
mon leader's  outlook  and  feelings  towards  mines  and 
mining  it  is  impossible  to  tell.  His  abhorrence  of  mines 
and  mining-camps  was  sociological  rather  than  economic. 
He  was  not  opposed  to  mining  as  an  industry,  but  at  that 
peculiar  time  he  was  assured  that  mining-camps  in  Utah 
were  undesirable,  and  was  particularly  anxious  that  the 
industrial  efforts  of  the  people  should  be  devoted  to  the 
tilling  of  the  soil. 

He  knew  the  attraction  mines  had  for  the  exploiters  of 
the  vices  of  men,  —  the  whiskey-seller,  the  gambler,  the 
women  of  loose  morals  —  and  he  determined  with  an 
intensity  of  desire  to  save  his  followers  from  their  evil 
selves,  by  refusing  to  allow  any  mining  within  the  boun- 
daries of  the  country  over  which  he  had  control.  As 
Orson  F.  Whitney,  doubtless  echoing  the  spirit  of  Brig- 
ham  Young's  utterances,  exclaimed  :  "  Who  would  wish 
to  see  Deseret,  peaceful  Deseret,  the  home  of  a  people  who 

206 


Mines  and  the  Ore  Deposits  of  Utah    207 

had  fled  for  religious  freedom  and  quiet  to  these  moun- 
tain soHtudes,  converted  into  a  roIHcking,  roaring  mining- 
camp?    Not  the  Latter-day  Saints!  " 

But  prohibit  he  never  so  emphatically,  and  fulminate 
he  never  so  strongly  against  mines  and  mining,  Fate  itself 
was  against  him.  The  natural  desires  of  men  to  seek  out 
the  hidden  wealth  of  the  earth  was,  in  itself,  a  secret,  but 
nevertheless  potent  protest  against  his  dictum,  and  when 
General  E.  P.  Conner  gave  liberty  to  his  soldiers  to  pros- 
pect for  minerals  in  Utah,  and  himself  became  an  active 
promoter  of  mines  and  mining,  it  was  inevitable  that 
Brigham's  prohibitions  should  be  ignored.  Then,  too, 
this  condition  was  tremendously  affected,  adversely  to 
Brigham's  attitude,  by  the  coming  of  the  gold-seekers  of 
'48  and  '49,  allured  by  the  wonderful  discoveries  in  Cali- 
fornia. Many  of  these  stopped  in  Utah  and  added  fuel  to 
the  mineral-hunting  fever.  Hence,  even  during  the  life- 
time of  Brigham,  many  mines  were  opened  and  many  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  dollars  taken  from  the  bowels  of 
the  earth. 

Most  romantic  is  the  history  of  some  of  the  earliest 
Utah  mines.  Whole  chapters  might  easily  be  written 
upon  the  Emma,  the  Flagstaff,  the  Carbonate,  the  Tintic 
and  other  early  day  producers,  and  the  attention  of  the 
world  has  been  called  to  the  recent  marvelous  develop- 
ments of  the  Utah  Copper  Company's  mine  in  Bingham 
'Canyon.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  first  mining 
location  in  the  state  was  made  September  17,  1863,  in  this 
canyon,  —  called  the  West  Jordan  Claim  —  though  it  was 
gold  and  silver  rather  than  copper  that  the  locators  sought. 
Of  the  "  Emma  "  the  less  said  the  better,  for,  after  over 
two  millions  had  been  taken  from  it,  it  was  sold  to  Eng- 
lish capitalists  for  five  millions  and  thereupon  became  the 
cause  of  much  swindling  and  scandal.  But  the  Ontario, 
near  Park  City,  which  has  had  no  scandal,  in  ten  years 
had  an  output  of  more  than  $17,000,000,  of  which  the 


L'OS       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

stockholders  received  about  $6,250,000  in  dividends.  The 
ore  of  this  mine  averaged  $106  per  ton  in  silver,  and  the 
cost  of  mining  was  about  $34  per  ton.  This  cost  was 
largely  increased  by  the  tremendous  flow  of  water  in  the 
mine,  amounting  to  2,000  gallons  a  minute.  To  control 
this,  at  a  depth  of  2,000  feet,  was  no  slight  task  and 
gigantic  Cornish  pattern  pumping  engines  were  installed 
for  the  purpose. 

If  one  were  disposed  to  relate  only  the  romantic  fea- 
tures of  mining  he  might  tell  of  the  Eureka  Hill  and 
Gemini  mines  in  the  Tintic  district.  The  former  had  been 
worked  for  some  time,  but  largely  near  the  surface,  and 
v/hile  the  results  had  been  profitable,  they  were  ordinary 
and  commonplace.  Then  came  along  Professor  Clayton 
who  had  studied  similar  conditions  elsewhere  and  he 
urged  the  proprietors  to  "  go  down  deep,"  and  also  to 
locate  and  develop  a  mine  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  gulch. 
The  owners  did  so,  and  expended  over  $150,000  in  devel- 
oping the  ground,  and  thereafter  took  out  into  the  mil- 
lions. Mr.  C.  H.  Blanchard,  the  friend  who  aided  Dallin, 
the  sculptor,  in  his  early  days,  came  to  Tintic  in  1873. 
Speaking  of  one  of  the  mines  he  says: 

"  The  Centennial-Eurcka  claims  were  located  in  1876, 
and  the  original  owners  went  broke  before  they  struck  ore. 
They  finally  succeeded  in  developing  pay  ore,  which 
resulted  in  the  payment  of  over  two  million  in  dividends. 
Then  they  sold  what  they  supposed  was  a  skimmed  mine 
to  Bert  Holden,  at  $70  a  share,  for  30,000  shares,  equal- 
ling $2,100,000.  This  formed  the  basis  of  the  United 
States  Smelting,  Refining  and  Mining  Company's  wealth. 
It  was  considered  the  greatest  mine  in  the  country,  as  it 
contained  immense  bodies  of  ore,  which  ran  high  in  value. 
After  buying  it,  they  shipped  daily  an  average  of  about 
500  tons  for  many  years,  and  the  mine  is  still  producing. 
One  car  of  ore  shipped  was  valued,  to  my  knowledge,  at 
$200,000. 


Mines  and  the  Ore  Deposits  of  Utah    209 

"  The  Centennial-Eureka  owners  in  their  early  day 
struggles  offered  7,000  shares  of  the  capital  stock  of 
30,000  to  anybody  who  would  pay  the  expense  of  perfect- 
ing titles  to  the  claims  held.  J.  A.  Bamberger  accepted 
the  offer,  which  gave  him  about  one-fourth  of  the  total 
stock  issued,  from  which  he  received  about  $500,000  in 
dividends  paid  by  the  original  company.  He  also  received 
nearly  $500,000  of  the  purchase  price  paid  for  the  mine 
by  the  United  States  Smelting,  Refining  and  Mining  Com- 
pany through  Bert  Holden.  In  addition,  he  received  a 
commission  for  negotiating  the  sale.  Hence  he  came  out 
with  ovfer  a  million  dollars  in  return  for  the  small  amount 
spent  in  acquiring  government  title  to  the  claims." 

An  equally  interesting  and  romantic  story  is  told  by 
Mr.  Blanchard  of  the  Eagle  and  Blue  Bell  mine,  which 
already  showed  the  need  for  competent  and  experienced 
management  in  mining  as  in  everything  else.  This  mine 
was  located  and  sold  to  Cincinnati  people  for  $60,000, 
half  cash,  balance  in  six  months.  A  manager  was  sent 
out  from  Cincinnati  and,  although  the  shaft  was  only 
thirty  feet  down  he  decided  a  mill  should  be  built  at  once, 
for  the  reduction  of  the  ore.  This  done  he  discovered 
that  he  had  "  bit  off  more  than  he  could  chew."  His  mine 
did  not  produce  enough  ore  to  keep  the  mill  going.  While 
there  was  a  little  ore  at  the  bottom  of  the  shaft  it  was  soon 
exhausted,  and  the  eastern  manager  soon  grew  tired,  sold 
the  mill,  abandoned  the  mine  and  returned  to  his  home 
feeling  that  he  had  been  swindled.  In  reality  he  had  been 
misled  only  by  his  own  ignorant  over-confidence.  As  the 
mine  was  not  yet  patented,  and  the  eastern  purchasers 
failed  to  keep  up  the  necessary  assessment  work,  in  due 
time  their  claim  lapsed,  and  others  relocated  it,  several 
times  over.  The  last  relocators  were  John  McChrystal  and 
Owen  Donahue,  under  the  name  it  now  bears.  The  tunnel 
was  run  about  1,200  feet  into  the  hill,  but  nothing  found. 
This  so  discouraged  Donahue  that  he  sold  out  to  McChry- 


210      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

stal  for  a  "  mere  song,"  congratulating  himself  upon  get- 
ting even  that  much  out  of  the  affair.  McChrystal  now 
went  to  the  old  shaft  and  sank  it  deeper,  thus  uncovering 
some  rich  ore.  He  now  pushed  the  tunnel  further  into 
the  hill  until  it  was  under  the  shaft,  and  here  he  found 
larger  and  richer  bodies  than  those  of  the  shaft  itself. 
He  worked  the  mine  profitably  until  the  big  slump  in 
silver  came,  in  1893,  and  then  closed  the  mine  down, 
remarking :  "  I'm  not  going  to  sacrifice  my  ore  at  these 
prices.  I  can  afford  to  wait  until  prices  come  back  to 
normal."  He  died,  however,  before  that  time  came. 
After  some  years  of  rest  and  then  of  desultory  working 
the  mine  was  sold  to  a  Boston,  Mass.,  company.  They 
took  out  a  large  quantity  of  ore,  then  borrowed  money  to 
the  tune  of  $300,000,  searching  for  more.  The  bankers 
who  had  loaned  the  money  refused  to  make  further 
advances,  and  a  new  company  assumed  the  obligations 
and  took  possession.  The  new  superintendent  seemed  to 
be  wasting  a  vast  amount  of  the  money  of  the  new  own- 
ers, for  he  followed  a  thin  iron-stained  seam  for  over 
800  feet  until  paying  ore  was  struck.  Then  it  was  found 
in  immense  quantities.  The  old  debt  was  paid  off,  as 
well  as  the  new  one,  and  a  new  electric  hoist,  one  of  the 
best  in  the  district,  erected,  and  over  $700,000  has  been 
paid  in  dividends.  The  company  has  a  good  surplus  in 
the  treasury,  and  enough  ore  in  sight  to  keep  up  the  work 
of  extraction  for  years. 

Similar  stories  can  be  told  of  a  score  of  Utah  mines,  so 
that  while  some  men  have  lost,  others  have  made  large 
fortunes  in  them. 

No  modern  romance  can  surpass  the  story  of  the 
development  of  the  Utah  Copper  Company's  enterprise  in 
Bingham  Canyon.  To  tell  the  whole  story,  even  in  brief, 
would  exhaust  far  more  than  half  the  pages  of  this  book. 
Early  in  1887  Colonel  Enos  A.  Wall,  of  Indiana,  who 
was  essentially  a  miner  and  dealer  in  mines,  rather  than  a 


Mines  and  the  Ore  Deposits  of  Utah    211 

promoter,  located  three  copper  claims  in  Bingham  Canyon. 
While  he  was  able  to  do  the  assessment  work  he  was 
financially  unable  to  undertake  development  on  a  large 
scale.  In  1896  an  excitement  in  copper  was  caused  by 
the  shipment  of  rich  ore  from  the  Highland  Boy,  a 
nearby  mine,  and  this  found  Colonel  Wall  with  owner- 
ship in  200  acres  of  ore-bearing  land,  in  which  he  had 
expended  $20,000  for  exploratory  work,  as  represented 
by  about  3,250  feet  of  tunnels,  drifts,  and  cross-cuts.  At 
this  time  Captain  Joseph  R.  DeLamar  came  upon  the 
scene,  and  having  an  acquaintance  with  Colonel  Wall,  he 
began  negotiations  for  an  interest  in  the  mine.  Wall 
gave  him  a  six-months'  option  and  three-quarters  of  the 
property  for  $375,000.  A  test  was  made  on  seventy-six 
tons  of  ore,  but,  in  the  meantime,  the  price  of  copper 
declined,  and  the  test  revealing  only  a  very  small  percent- 
age of  copper,  assay  2%,  and  a  concentrate  containing  28 
to  33%,  the  recovery  being  60  to  62%,  he  allowed  the 
option  to  lapse. 

Three  years  later  he  took  the  matter  up  again,  and 
finally  secured  a  quarter  interest  for  $50,000. 

Now  appears  on  the  scene  one  D.  C.  Jackling,  a  young 
man  of  poor  parentage,  but  who  had  worked  his  way 
through  the  Missouri  School  of  Mines,  graduating  in 
1892.  He  was  a  member  of  DeLamar's  mining  staff, 
and  thus  became  acquainted  with  the  Bingham  property. 
He  was  a  man  of  vision,  of  imagination,  and  of  intense 
energy  and  concentration.  In  1899  he  and  an  associate 
made  a  report  on  the  mine,  which  shows  his  complete 
grasp  of  the  situation.  While  all  the  assays  made 
revealed  no  larger  average  yield  than  2%  copper,  the 
immense  amount  of  ore  intrigued  him,  and  set  his  active 
mind  to  figuring  upon  some  way  to  utilize  it  to  the  fullest 
advantage.  He  estimated  that  the  mine,  as  already 
developed,  had  a  body  of  over  twelve  million  tons  of  ore 
in  sight,  but  that  to  properly  equip  the  mine  for  success- 


1*12       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

ful  working,  put  in  a  concentrator,  smelter,  and  refinery 
and  a  railway  to  take  the  ore  thither  would  cost  over  a 
million  dollars. 

Nothing  further,  however,  was  done  by  DeLamar,  and 
soon  Jackling  left  his  employ,  working  successively  in 
Washington  and  Colorado.  But,  busy  though  he  was, 
building  mills,  operating  smelters  and  the  like,  his  vision 
of  the  great  possibilities  of  the  copper  property  at  Bing- 
ham never  left  him.  In  due  time  he  succeeded  in  enthus- 
ing his  new  employers  with  his  own  conceptions,  and  in 
time,  after  considerable — what  might  be  termed — financial 
dabbling  and  jockeying,  Colonel  Wall  made  an  agree- 
ment by  which  he  was  to  receive  $385,000  for  55%  of  the 
entire  property  and  the  new  group  of  owners  was  to  buy 
DeLamar's  quarter  interest,  leaving  Wall  with  a  20% 
holding  in  both  shares  and  bonds.  The  option  was  for 
six  months,  with  the  privilege  of  an  extension  for  twelve 
months  more  on  payment  of  $5,000  in  cash  for  each 
monthly  extension  of  time.  They  did  use  seven  months 
extra  and  for  that  they  paid  $35,000,  so  that  Wall  eventu- 
ally received  $420,000  in  all.  They  bought  DeLamar's 
quarter  for  $125,000. 

An  expert,  F.  H.  Minard,  was  at  once  sent  to  examine 
carefully  and  report  on  the  property.  This  report  is 
dated  April  23,  1903,  and  on  June  4,  the  Utah  Copper 
Company  was  organized,  under  the  laws  of  Colorado,  the 
capital  being  $500,000,  in  shares  of  $1  each.  After  sev- 
eral changes  in  capitalization  to  allow  the  purchase  of 
additional  property,  to  build  the  great  Magna  Mill  at 
Garfield,  and  other  necessary  enlargements  and  improve- 
ments, in  January,  19 10,  the  capital  stock  was  increased 
to  $25,000,000,  of  which  up  to  the  end  of  1918,  $16,244,- 
900  in  $10  shares  had  been  issued.  Out  of  the  stock 
issue,  amounting  to  $8,282,240,  made  in  19 10,  the  sum  of 
$3,100,000  was  paid  for  the  property  of  the  Boston  Con- 
solidated and  $4,455,120  for  1,000,152  shares  of  Nevada 


Mines  and  the  Ore  Deposits  of  Utah    213 

Consolidated,  the  latter  being  a  highly  successful  copper 
enterprise  at  Ely,  Nevada, 

As  soon  as  sufficient  cash  was  provided  for  the  satis- 
factory operation  of  the  mine  on  a  scale  commensurate 
with  its  size,  Mr.  Jackling  and  his  associates  set  them- 
selves to  the  discovery  of  cheaper  and  more  efficient 
methods  of  mining,  milling,  concentrating  and  refining 
the  ore.  And  it  is  a  startling  tribute  to  their  genius 
that  from  the  day  when  production  begun,  in  1907,  to 
the  end  of  19 17,  the  mine  has  yielded  67,220,700  tons 
of  ore,  averaging  1.428%  copper,  producing  3,118,385 
tons  of  concentrate,  averaging  19.81%,  and  containing 
617,785  tons  of  copper,  enabling  the  company  to  pay 
$75,770,882  in  dividends  and  accumulate  a  working  cap- 
ital of  $48,293,528. 

Of  the  bitter  fight  waged  by  Colonel  Wall  upon  Mr. 
Jackling  and  his  associates  because  of  differences  in  ideas 
of  management,  one  might  write  a  book,  but  as  the  for- 
mer owned  $150,000  in  bonds  and  90,000  shares  of  stock 
in  the  1904  organization  and  these  undoubtedly  were  con- 
verted into  new  bonds  and  stock  of  the  present  organiza- 
tion, he  certainly  had  no  reason  to  complain  of  the  results 
accruing  to  him  on  account  of  the  genius  of  management 
displayed  by  the  man  he  professed  to  dislike. 

Let  it  here  be  said  that  no  intelligent  visitor  to  Utah 
"will  fail  to  visit  Bingham  to  see  this  colossal  and  unique 
mine,  and  Garfield,  where  the  mills  treat  about  37,500  tons 
of  ore  per  day.  It  is  hard  to  realize  that  a  private  cor- 
poration is  moving  more  material  each  day  with  its  steam 
shovels,  than  the  greatest  amount  ever  handled  at  the 
Panama  Canal.  Yet  so  vast  is  the  ore  deposit  that,  even 
though  not  another  ounce  of  mineral-bearing  rock  is  dis- 
covered the  mine  still  has  enough  "  ore  in  sight  "  to  keep 
the  mills  working  for  another  thirty-five  years. 

The  bituminous  coal  production  of  Utah  is  large,  reach- 
ing in  the  neighborhood  of  4,000,000  tons  annually.    It  is 


L'i4       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

of  excellent  quality,  burns  freely  with  a  low  percentage 
of  ash,  and  evolving  14,000  British  thermal  units  per 
ton.  The  Castle  Valley  or  Book  Cliff  Coal  Fields,  in  the 
central  part  of  the  state,  are  the  chief  producers,  though 
coal  is  found  in  a  number  of  fields.  The  Sunnyside  coal  is 
converted  into  coke,  at  the  rate  of  1,000  tons  a  day,  all  of 
which  is  consumed  by  western  smelters. 

Placer  mining  for  gold  has  been  carried  on  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  in  Utah,  especially  in  the  Colorado  River  and 
its  main  tributaries,  Grand,  Green  and  San  Juan  Rivers. 
Indeed  in  1892  there  was  a  stampede  to  the  San  Juan, 
owing  to  the  reports  of  an  Indian  trader,  named  Williams. 
He  said  fabulously  rich  deposits  had  been  found  both  in 
the  river  placers  and  the  sandstones  adjacent,  and  though 
it  was  midwinter,  several  hundred  men  rushed  to  the 
region  and  "  staked  out "  the  river  and  its  tributaries  for 
many  miles.  After  much  fighting,  quarreling  and  blood- 
shed, it  was  found  that  the  gold  was  too  fine  to  be  worked 
on  a  small  scale,  and  no  one  had  capital  enough  to  attempt 
the  workings  on  a  large  scale,  so  the  region  was  prac- 
tically abandoned.  Desultory  dredging  and  panning  had 
been  done  on  the  Colorado  for  many  years,  but  the  returns 
do  not  seem  to  have  justified  long  or  extensive  operations. 
Some  years  ago  I  made  a  trip  up  Glen  Canyon,  from  Lee's 
Ferry,  and  three  or  four  members  of  the  party  enthusi- 
astically panned  various  sand-bars  for  gold.  I  have  a 
small  bottle  of  the  precious  metal  gained  at  that  time,  but 
nothing  further  was  done. 

This  chapter  necessarily  is  sketchy  and  merely  strikes  a 
few  high  points.  Merely  to  list  Utah's  paying  mines 
would  require  many  pages.  In  19 17  her  mines  yielded 
over  $100,000,000,  with  copper  as  the  principal  metal. 
Salt  Lake  City  today  is  the  greatest  smelting  center  not 
only  of  the  United  States,  but  of  the  world.  What  the 
future  holds  for  the  miner  in  Utah,  no  one  can  foretell, 
but  it  is  indisputable  that  mining  is  yet  in  its  infancy. 


Mines  and  tlie  Ore  Deposits  of  Utah     215 

And  the  government  volume  already  referred  to,  Ore 
Deposits  of  Utah,  gives  abundant  evidence  that  there  are 
as  many,  and  doubtless  many  times  as  many,  opportun- 
ities for  the  gaining  of  vast  fortunes  in  Utah  mines  as 
there  have  been  in  the  past.  Those  interested  should  not 
fail  to  secure  this  useful  and  practical  volume,  as  it  con- 
tains a  wealth  of  information  not  to  be  gained  elsewhere. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  NATIONAL  FORESTS  OF  UTAH 

To  the  Stranger  within  her  gates  the  mountains  of 
Utah  are  a  source  of  unceasing  and  enthusiastic  interest. 
From  beautiful  Bear  Lake  on  the  north  to  the  majestic 
domes  and  spires  of  Little  Zion  on  the  south,  these  lordly 
ranges  cast  the  spell  of  their  attraction  upon  the  visitor. 
And  for  those  who  respond  to  the  call  there  is  no  disap- 
pointment. Do  they  seek  health  ?  It  is  there  in  the  invig- 
orating air  and  sunshine,  away  from  the  heat,  the  dust, 
the  smoke  and  nerve  destroying  noise  and  rush  of  the 
cities.  Or  wealth?  Already  Utah's  mountains  have 
yielded  wealth  untold  in  minerals,  in  products  of  the  live- 
stock ranges,  in  the  water  which  is  the  life-blood  of  her 
irrigated  agriculture.  And  yet  development  of  the  min- 
eral, timber,  forage  and  water  resources  has  but  begun. 

Is  pleasure  the  objective?  The  joys  of  the  open  road 
are  on  every  side.  Scenic  beauty  and  grandeur  delight  the 
eye  and  feast  the  soul.  Camp  life  in  the  shelter  of  mighty 
forests,  the  pleasures  of  the  rod  and  gun,  tempt  the  sports- 
man, the  weary  business  man  and  their  families  as  well. 
The  giant  peaks,  rugged  canyons,  weird  geologic  forma- 
tions, natural  bridges,  the  ruins  of  the  cliff-dwellings  and 
other  reminders  of  the  ancient  civilizations  of  the  region 
call  with  compelling  voice  the  mountain  climber,  the  sci- 
entist, the  artist  and  the  lover  of  the  great  outdoors. 

Within  the  shadow  of  these  rugged  ranges  dwell  a  half 
million  busy,  prosperous,  contented  people.  To  these  the 
mountains  ever  within  their  view  are  more  than  an  inspi- 

216 


The  National  Forests  of  Utah  217 

ration  and  delight.  In  them  the  Utahn  sees  the  primary 
sources  of  the  wonderful  productivity  which  has  made 
possible  the  progress  and  development  of  the  state  and 
which  is  so  closely,  so  vitally,  related  to  the  daily  welfare 
of  the  individual  citizen. 

Twenty  years  ago  these  great  mountain  areas  were  in 
danger  of  rapid  devastation.  The  timbered  slopes,  pro- 
ducing the  wood  products  which,  with  the  nearing 
exhaustion  of  other  sources  of  supply,  will  be  so  essential 
to  continued  civic  progress,  were  afforded  no  protection 
against  fire,  reckless  cutting,  mismanagement  or  wasteful 
exploitation.  The  vast  areas  of  livestock  range  were 
steadily  being  turned  into  dustbeds  through  subjection  to 
over-intensive  and  uncontrolled  grazing.  In  those  days 
the  traveler  in  the  valley  might  count  the  herds  upon  the 
nearby  mountain-sides  by  the  clouds  of  dust  which  rose 
above  them.  The  future  of  irrigation,  the  continuance  of 
pure  and  plentiful  supplies  of  water  for  domestic  use  were 
threatened  through  the  destruction  of  the  forest  and  veg- 
etative cover  on  the  mountain  watersheds.  Without  the 
restraining  influence  of  such  cover,  early  and  disastrous 
spring  floods,  followed  by  extreme  shortages  of  water 
during  the  dry,  summer  months,  were  inevitable,  with  all 
their  blighting  effects  upon  agricultural  development  and 
upon  community  life  and  growth. 

It  was  the  recognition  of  this  situation  which  led  to  the 
establishment  of  the  National  Forests,  twelve  of  which  are 
in  Utah.  These  forests  now  include  the  principal  moun- 
tain ranges  of  the  state;  the  Uinta  range  in  the  north- 
east, the  Wasatch  range  running  generally  north  and  south 
down  through  the  central  portion,  nearly  as  far  as  Nephi 
in  Juab  county;  together  with  the  more  isolated  Elk 
Ridge,  Abajo  and  LaSal  ranges  in  the  southeast,  the  Pine 
Valley  group  in  the  southwest  and  the  Bear  River  and 
Raft  River  ranges  in  the  northern  portion  extending  up 


218       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

into  Idaho.    They  are  approximately  eight  miUion  acres 
in  extent. 

These  ten  National  Forests,  with  ten  others  in  south- 
ern Idaho,  three  in  Nevada,  three  in  southwestern 
Wyoming,  and  the  Kaibab,  just  north  of  the  Grand  Can- 
3'on  in  Arizona,  comprise  what  is  known  as  the  Inter- 
mountain  District  of  the  Forest  Service,  and  are  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  District  Forester  at  Ogden.  Each 
forest  has  its  own  local  administration,  under  a  Forest 
Supervisor.  Headquarters  for  the  Utah  forests  are  now 
located  as  follows : 

Ashley Vernal,  Utah. 

Cache Logan,  Utah. 

Dixie-Sevier Cedar  City,  Utah. 

Fillmore-Fishlake. .  .  Richfield,  Utah, 

LaSal Moab,  Utah. 

Manti Ephraim,  Utah. 

Minidoka Burley,  Idaho. 

Powell-Sevier Widtsoe,  Utah. 

Uinta Provo,  Utah. 

Wasatch Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 

In  the  administration  of  these  great  natural  resources 
as  National  Forests  the  aim  first  has  been  to  provide 
adequate  protection  against  devastation  by  fire,  reckless 
cutting  of  timber,  and  deterioration  of  the  ranges  and 
watershed  values  through  overgrazing,  or  other  abuses. 
This  accomplished,  all  eflforts  are  bent  toward  the  devel- 
opment and  fullest  possible  utilization  of  all  the  resources 
which  the  forests  afford,  consistent  with  conservation 
and  perpetuation. 

At  the  time  the  National  Forests  were  established 
means  of  travel  and  communication  within  and  adjacent 
to  them  were  seriously  deficient  over  the  greater  portion 
of  their  area.  It  was  thus  necessary  for  the  Forest  Ser- 
vice to  first  open  up  the  forests  —  to  build  roads,  trails, 


The  National  Forests  of  Utah         219 

and  telephone  lines  that  a  system  of  fire  protection  might 
be  worked  out  and  applied,  and  the  hitherto  inaccessible 
resources  made  susceptible  to  proper  utilization.  It  was 
necessary  to  select  and  improve  administrative  sites,  to 
construct  stations  and  facilities  for  its  field  force,  and  to 
increase  the  value  and  utility  of  the  livestock  ranges 
through  the  development  of  stock  watering  places,  the  con- 
struction of  drift  and  division  fences,  and  many  other 
range  improvements.  Much  has  been  accomplished  toward 
these  ends  —  much  more  remains  to  be  done,  but  the 
work  is  steadily  pushed  onward  as  funds  for  the  purpose 
become  available. 

The  fire  menace  was  soon  brought  fairly  well  within 
control.  Comparatively  speaking  the  natural  fire  hazard 
of  the  Utah  forests  is  not  high.  Climatic  conditions,  the 
rarity  of  dry  electrical  storms,  the  more  or  less  open, 
broken  stands  of  timber  and  the  well  watered  slopes  all 
contribute  to  this  situation.  The  serious  forest  fires 
which  in  early  years  wrought  destruction  of  immense 
values  in  the  heavily  timbered  Uinta  and  the  northern 
Wasatch  mountains  were  largely  the  result  of  human 
carelessness  or  the  misguided  but  intentional  use  of  fire  by 
the  early  settler  and  the  Indians  for  purposes  of  clearing 
land,  driving  game  into  the  open,  or  in  other  pursuits 
within  or  near  the  timbered  areas.  These  factors  have 
been  largely  eliminated,  although  every  year  has  witnessed 
a  number  of  serious  fires  in  the  forests  of  the  state. 
Now  with  the  advent  of  thousands  of  recreation-seekers 
annually,  eternal  vigilance,  and  thorough-going  organiza- 
tion, together  with  intensive  campaigns  to  impress  the 
traveling  public  with  the  great  necessity  for  the  utmost 
care  with  fire  in  the  woods  is  the  price  of  adequate 
protection. 

Reckless  waste  of  timber  in  the  forests  of  Utah  is  no 
longer  a  problem.  The  limited  cutting  which  is  done  is 
now  carried  on  in  a  way  which  gives  the  operator  all  that 


220       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

he  can  reasonably  ask  in  the  way  of  a  profitable  operation, 
and  yet  looks  to  the  perpetuation  of  this  great  timber 
resource  which  within  the  not  far  distant  future  will  be 
vitally  essential  to  continued  civic  progress. 

Utah  is  not  a  heavily  timbered  state.  Nevertheless, 
the  95%  of  her  timber  which  is  found  within  the  National 
Forests  constitutes  a  resource  of  immense  value  which 
will  be  increasingly  drawn  upon  in  the  upbuilding  of  her 
industries  and  communities. 

The  native  timber  species  of  Utah  are  western  yellow 
pine,  engelman  spruce,  lodgepole  pine  and  douglas  fir, 
while  the  cordwood  species  are  quaking  aspen,  juniper  and 
pinyon  pine.  Between  seven  and  eight  billion  feet  of  mer- 
chantable saw-timber,  railroad-ties  and  mining-prop  mate- 
rial is  available.  In  addition  there  are  vast  tracts  of  aspen 
which  will  some  day  supply  pulp  mills  throughout  this 
region. 

Utah's  heaviest  bodies  of  timber  are  found  in  the 
Uinta  range  where  there  is  estimated  to  be  three  billion 
feet  of  mature  timber;  on  the  Aquarius  Plateau  of  the 
Powell  Forest  in  the  south  with  a  stand  of  a  billion  and  a 
quarter  board  feet;  and  on  the  watershed  of  the  Sevier 
River  with  a  quarter  billion  feet.  The  entire  Wasatch 
range  offers  large  quantities  of  merchantable  timber 
and  cordwood. 

At  present  the  few  small  mills  in  operation  cut  approxi- 
mately $30,000  worth  of  stumpage  each  year  and  supply 
less  than  one-tenth  of  the  local  demand  for  lumber.  This 
is  true  simply  because  it  has  hitherto  been  possible  to 
supply  the  Utah  market  from  the  highly  developed  lumber 
regions  of  the  Pacific  Coast  more  advantageously  than 
from  the  comparatively  inaccessible  and  undeveloped 
native  forests. 

With  the  steady  development  of  transportation  facil- 
ities and  the  opening  up  of  the  local  timbered  regions 
there  are  presented  increasingly  excellent  opportunties  for 


The  National  Forests  of  Utah  221 

a  number  of  large  local  sawmills.  The  available  timber 
resources  and  local  market  conditions  are  becoming  more 
widely  and  favorably  known,  and  the  lumber  industry 
must  soon  develop  to  a  position  of  much  greater  import- 
ance among  the  industrial  activities  of  Utah.  Pulp  wood 
possiblities  are  already  being  investigated  with  growing 
interest,  and  as  there  is  a  vast  supply  of  aspen  available 
and  suitable  for  the  manufacture  of  paper  pulp,  the  estab- 
lishment of  one  or  more  large  pulp  mills  in  northern  Utah 
can  only  be  a  question  of  time. 

The  grazing  of  livestock  now  constitutes  one  of  the  most 
important  uses  to  which  the  National  Forests  in  Utah 
are  put.  Annually  these  great  forest  ranges  supply  sum- 
mer pasturage  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million  cattle  and 
horses  and  over  a  million  head  of  sheep,  owned  by  over 
nine  thousand  farmers,  ranchers,  and  stockmen  of  the 
state.  The  apportionment  of  the  range  privileges  among 
the  different  classes  of  stock,  and  their  owners,  on  a  fair 
and  impartial  basis;  supervision  of  the  use  of  the  range; 
the  care  and  proper  handling  of  the  stock  and  its  distribu- 
tion over  the  forest  areas  constitute  one  of  the  greatest 
problems  of  National  Forest  administration.  Nowhere  is 
the  demand  for  forest  range  so  intensive  as  in  Utah. 
Nowhere  is  there  greater  need  for  so  administering  forest 
ranges  as  to  provide  for  the  greatest  possible  numbers  of 
stock  and  yet  fully  conserve  the  watershed  values  of  the 
mountain  slopes.  Far  below  in  the  valleys  lie  the  irri- 
gated lands,  the  basis  of  the  key  industry  of  Utah.  The 
farmer  looks  to  snow-clad  mountains  for  that  ample  and 
regular  supply  of  water  without  which  his  efforts  avail 
him  nothing.  And  he  must  not  look  in  vain.  Nor  must 
any  abuse  be  allowed  which  would  impair  in  any  degree 
the  purity  or  the  flow  of  these  crystal  mountain  springs 
and  streams  which  supply  the  domestic  needs  of  the  cities 
and  towns. 

Fifteen   years   of   application   of   sound   principles   of 


ooo 


Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

range  administration  have  clearly  demonstrated  the  prac- 
ticability of  harmonizing  the  needs  of  the  livestock  indus- 
try, the  farm,  and  the  municipality.  Hitherto,  inacessible 
range  areas  have  been  opened  up  through  the  development 
of  watering  places,  better  distribution  of  the  stock  on  the 
range  is  secured  through  better  methods  of  salting,  and 
through  the  construction  of  the  great  range  fences. 
Improved  methods  of  handling  the  stock  have  been  devised 
and  brought  into  use.  The  elimination  of  poisonous  or 
inferior  native  feeds  from  the  range  progresses  steadily. 
Grazing  periods  have  been  shortened  where  necessary  to 
secure  the  best  growth  of  the  forage.  Studies  designed 
to  search  out  better  methods  never  cease.  The  results  are 
better  watershed  and  range  conditions,  more  stock  on  the 
ranges  than  ever  before,  greater  production  of  meat  and 
the  by-products  of  the  livestock  industry. 

The  stockmen  themselves  take  a  great  interest  in  the 
management  of  the  forest  ranges.  Over  a  hundred  com- 
munity livestock  associations  have  been  organized  within 
the  state  and  are  actively  cooperating  with  the  forest 
officers.  These  associations  exert  a  very  healthy  influence 
toward  better  grades  of  stock,  methods  of  marketing, 
herding,  salting,  and  general  handling  of  the  stock.  Nat- 
urally the  Forest  Service  does  everything  it  can  to  encour- 
age the  formation  of  such  associations  and  to  support 
them  after  organization. 

The  old  range  wars  are  a  closed  chapter.  The  old  and 
wasteful  methods  are  steadily  discarded.  In  their  place  is 
growing  the  spirit  of  cooperation  and  open-mindedness 
toward  new  and  improved  methods  and  ideas.  Utah's 
livestock  industry  thrives,  without  injury  to  the  resource 
on  which  it  so  largely  depends. 

During  the  past  few  years  a  thorough  classification  of 
the  lands  within  the  National  Forests  has  been  completed, 
and  all  land  found  chiefly  valuable  for  agriculture  has 
been  thrown  open  to  entry  and  agricultural   settlement. 


The  National  Forests  of  Utah  223 

Prior  to  the  classification  many  good  agricultural  tracts 
were  so  opened  and  many  profitable  farms  may  now  be 
found  within  the  forest  boundaries.  There  remains  but 
little  land  of  true  agricultural  value  which  has  not  been 
settled  upon  and  improved. 

Many  other  minor  uses  of  the  forest  resources  are  in 
effect  under  the  government  policy  of  fullest  possible 
utilization  and  development.  Many  special  use  permits 
are  issued  on  the  forests  every  year,  some  for  which  nom- 
inal charges  are  made  and  some  entirely  free,  which 
involve  the  construction  of  reservoirs,  ditches,  conduits, 
private  telephone  lines,  cabins,  corrals,  pasture  fences, 
the  cutting  of  wild  hay  and  a  wide  variety  of  other 
desirable  uses. 

Water-power  development  is  one  of  the  most  promis- 
ing future  uses  of  the  forest  resources.  The  swift  moun- 
tain streams  offer  sufficient  power  to  meet  every  need  of 
the  state's  growing  industrial  activities  and  under  recent 
legislation  great  strides  in  power  development  are  to  be 
expected. 

An  interesting  sidelight  on  the  administration  of  the  Na- 
tional Forests  of  the  state  is  afforded  by  the  Great  Basin 
Forest  Experiment  Station  on  the  Manti  National  Forest. 
Here  the  scientific  side  of  range  management  is  brought 
to  its  highest  development.  The  applied  results  of  studies 
conducted  at  this  station  and  dealing  with  stock  handling 
methods,  range  plant  life,  the  effects  of  erosion,  over- 
grazing, unseasonal  grazing  and  similar  features  have  con- 
tributed tremendously  to  the  advancement  of  range 
administration  in  Utah  and  to  the  welfare  of  the  Utah 
stockgrower. 

Utah's  National  Forests  are  a  self-sustaining  business 
enterprise.  Although  they  were  not  established  for  profit 
paying  purposes  primarily  and  are  not  administered  with 
immediate  profit  as  a  prime  objective,  the  receipts  from 
the  sale  and  use  of  their  resources  each  year  already 


'2'24:       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

exceeds  the  cost  of  their  protection  and  administration. 
Each  year  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  the  gross  receipts  is 
returned  to  the  state  for  road  and  school  purposes.  This 
annual  return  has  grown  from  $9,000  in  1909  to  nearly 
$70,000  in  19 1 9. 

Another  ten  per  cent,  of  the  forest  receipts  has  been 
expended  by  the  Forest  Service  each  year  since  19 12  for 
road  construction  within  the  state.  This  ten  per  cent, 
fund  amounting  to  $13,500  in  1912  now  is  more  than 
double  that  amount. 

Special  legislation  by  Congress  in  and  subsequent  to 
1916  has  given  a  tremendous  new  impetus  to  road  build- 
ing activities  in  Utah  as  throughout  the  entire  west.  The 
counties,  the  state  and  federal  government  are  cooperat- 
ing in  the  rapid  extension  of  the  state  highway  system  on 
an  auto  travel  basis.  As  the  result  the  great  natural 
resources  of  the  region  are  swiftly  becoming  more  and 
more  accessible,  more  widely  known  and  appreciated. 
More  rapid  development  must  follow  as  a  natural  result. 

Nothing  serves  to  emphasize  this  situation  more  than 
the  sudden  rise  to  national  prominence  of  the  recreational 
and  scenic  attractions  of  the  Utah  National  Forests. 

A  few  short  years  ago  the  wondrous  charm  of  Bear 
Lake,  forty  miles  northeast  of  Logan,  was  known  only  to 
the  people  of  the  nearby  country  and  the  small  number  of 
tourists  who  braved  the  rather  difficult  and  trying  jour- 
ney to  its  shores.  Today  a  first-class  auto  highway  from 
Logan  to  Garden  City,  two  miles  from  the  lake  shore,  is 
maintained  by  the  local  authorities  and  the  Forest  Service. 
An  excellent  auto  road  extends  around  the  lake,  which  is 
nineteen  miles  long  and  seven  miles  wide.  Its  shores  are 
lined  with  rapidly  growing  summer  resorts,  private  cot- 
tages and  camps,  and  thousands  of  visitors  annually  find  it 
the  ideal  vacation  center  of  northern  Utah. 

The  approach  to  the  lake  from  Logan  is  through  the 
wondrous  Logan  Canyon,  a  drive  affording  a  continuous 


Tli.MPLE    U1--    LAlll-.K    DAY    SAINTS,    LOGAN. 


The  National  Forests  of  Utah  225 

feast  of  scenic  beauty  and  grandeur.  Nearly  one  hundred 
summer  homes  have  sprung  up  in  the  past  few  years  along 
this  canyon  road,  and  other  delightful  sites  have  been 
prepared  for  lease  at  nominal  rates  by  the  Forest  Service. 
Logan  River  is  abundantly  stocked  with  trout  each  year, 
but  the  stream  is  heavily  fished  by  the  local  people  and 
the  tourist,  and  considerable  skill  is  required  to  catch  a 
good  string.  Excellent  free  camping  grounds  are  found 
along  the  river. 

The  Wasatch  National  Forest  embraces  the  Wasatch 
range  from  Provo  Canyon  on  the  south,  to  City  Creek  on 
the  north,  Stansbury  range  south  of  Great  Salt  Lake  and 
the  north  and  west  side  of  the  Uinta  range,  thus  includ- 
ing part  of  the  headwaters  of  Green  River  and  the  head- 
waters of  Bear,  Provo  and  Weber  Rivers,  together  with 
the  small  streams  draining  into  Salt  Lake  Valley.  The 
maintenance  of  favorable  stream-flow  conditions  on  these 
watersheds  is  vitally  essential  to  the  prosperity  and  health 
of  Salt  Lake  City  and  the  most  populous  section  of  Utah. 

Located  along  the  courses  of  the  streams  of  this  section 
are  power  plants  having  a  total  water-wheel  installation  of 
120,000  horse-power.  Practically  the  entire  amount  of 
electrical  energy  transmitted  from  these  plants  is  con- 
sumed as  power  or  light  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Ogden,  Provo, 
and  the  intervening  small  towns.  The  immediate  water- 
sheds of  the  streams  which  furnish  Salt  Lake  City's  water 
supply,  are  protected  under  a  cooperative  agreement 
between  the  city  and  the  Forest  Service. 

Mt.  Timpanogos,  the  highest  and  most  prominent  peak 
of  the  Wasatch  range,  lies  just  within  the  southern  limit 
of  the  Wasatch  forest.  The  construction  of  good  auto 
roads  to  its  base  and  trails  to  the  summit  are  resulting  in 
the  placing  of  Mt.  Timpanogos  and  its  tiny  glacier  at  the 
head  of  the  attractions  of  this  region  and  spreading  the 
fame  of  this  grand  peak  from  one  end  of  the  land  to 
the  other. 


220       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

The  peak  is  somewhat  isolated,  rising  abruptly  7,500 
feet  above  Utah  Valley  and  separated  from  other  parts 
of  the  range  by  the  deeply  cut  canyons  of  Provo  and 
American  Fork  Rivers. 

The  ^vestern  face  is  a  great  fault  scarp,  bold  and  rocky, 
but  barren  because  of  the  intense  heat  generated  under  the 
perpendicular  rays  of  the  summer's  afternoon  sun.  The 
eastern  slope  is  somewhat  more  gentle  although  deeply 
trenched  by  great  canyons  excavated  by  the  combined 
work  of  running  water  and  ancient  glacial  ice.  On  this 
side  are  found  magnificent  groves  of  quaking  aspen,  fir, 
and  spruce  and  it  is  abundantly  supplied  with  clear  moun- 
tain streams  w'hich  cascade  down  the  ledges  from  the 
perennial  snow  banks  which  lie  protected  in  the  shadow  of 
the  great  cliffs. 

Because  of  the  beauty  and  scientific  interest  of  this  east- 
ern side,  the  Forest  Service,  upon  the  solicitation  of  the 
Timpanogos  Nature  Club  of  Provo  and  other  interested 
persons  and  institutions,  has  withdrawn  from  grazing 
and  other  forest  operations  about  800  acres  of  land. 
Within  this  area  lies  the  miniature  glacier  and  lake  for 
which  the  mountain  is  noted,  as  well  as  scores  of  mag- 
nificent waterfalls  and  a  most  wonderful  flora  and  fauna 
comprising  species  native  to  all  latitudes  north  of  40°. 
Here  the  geologist,  the  physiographer,  the  botanist,  the 
zoologist,  and  the  entomologist  as  well  as  the  mere  lover 
of  the  beautiful  in  nature  may  find  a  veritable  paradise. 

The  main  aspects  of  this  portion  of  the  mountain  were 
determined  by  the  work  of  an  ancient  glacier,  which,  dur- 
ing what  is  known  geologically  as  the  "  Ice  Age  "  had  its 
birth  near  the  mountain  crest  and  advanced  down  the  can- 
yon of  the  North  Fork  of  the  Provo  River  to  a  point  only 
about  three  miles  above  the  junction  of  North  Fork  with 
the  main  stream.  This  ice-mass  formed  three  great 
cirques  or  amphitheaters  near  the  mountain  top,  swept  the 
debris  from  the  sides  and  bottom  of  the  main  canyon, 


The  National  Forests  of  Utah  227 

planed  away  the  projecting  spurs,  and  then,  melting, 
under  the  heat  of  the  lower  altitude,  deposited  its  earthy 
load  to  form  the  system  of  terminal  and  lateral  moraines 
which  remain  to  tell  the  story  of  that  age. 

The  present  tiny  glacier  —  which  is  probably  the  only 
remaining  remnant  in  Utah  of  the  great  alpine  glaciers  of 
the  Ice  Age  —  lies  in  the  embrace  of  one  of  the  great 
cirques  near  the  mountain  top.  Around  its  edge  runs  the 
true  "  BcrgscJirimd ""'  of  glaciers  and  at  its  foot  lies  a 
diminutive  glacial  lake.  This  glacier  is  perhaps  one  mile 
long,  one-quarter  mile  wide,  and  has  an  estimated  thick- 
ness of  150  or  200  feet.  Its  movement  is  very  slight, 
though  real,  as  is  indicated  by  the  recent  bunching  up  of 
a  moraine  across  the  lake,  and  the  undulatory  surface  of 
the  central  portion  of  the  glacier  itself. 

Here  it  lies  today,  crossed  annually  by  increasing  hun- 
dreds of  "  hikers,"  telling,  to  one  who  has  eyes  to  see,  the 
story  of  the  ages  gone. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  to  everyone  a  climb  to  the 
narrow  crest  of  this  monarch  of  mountains  is  an  inspira- 
tion, revealing  as  it  does  through  the  clear  air  of  this 
western  land  a  veritable  sea  of  mountain  and  valley  roll- 
ing off  below  in  every  direction,  billow  upon  billow,  until 
finally  lost  in  the  blue  haze  of  the  far  distance. 

In  making  a  trip  to  Mount  Timpanogos,  one  should 
endeavor  to  take  in  American  Fork  Canyon  as  well  as 
the  Provo  Canyon.  A  trip  through  these  canyons  will 
add  greatly  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  vacation. 

American  Fork  River  for  the  last  four  miles  of  its 
journey  has  cut  its  channel  through  the  Wasatch  fault, 
and  this  channel  has  not  been  smoothed  by  glaciation. 
The  contrast  of  this  rugged  gorge  with  the  smooth  roll- 
ing hills  of  the  higher  valley  is  one  of  the  most  striking 
features  of  the  Wasatch  range. 

The  Uinta  Mountains  are  the  highest  in  the  state;  the 
peaks  range  from  12,000  to  13,498  feet.     Kings  Peaks 


1228       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

with  elevations  of  13,496  and  13498  are  the  highest  in 
Utah,  These  mountains  offer  scenery  of  wonderful 
beauty  to  those  able  to  stand  the  hardships  and  who  have 
the  time  for  a  trip.  From  any  of  the  high  peaks  glacial 
lakes  and  rugged  mountain  crags  can  be  seen  as  far  as 
the  eye  will  reach.  From  the  backbone  of  the  range 
streams  flow  north  and  south  through  high  mountain 
meadows  and  from  lake  to  lake  until  lost  in  the  heavy 
timber  of  the  lower  slopes. 

Fishing  is  to  be  had  in  all  the  streams  and  lakes,  and 
beautiful  camping  grounds  are  to  be  found  wherever  night 
overtakes  one. 

A  report  by  the  Geological  Survey  thus  describes  the 
region : 

"  The  scenery  of  this  elevated  region  is  singularly  wild 
and  picturesque,  both  in  form  and  coloring.  In  the 
higher  portions  of  the  range  where  the  forest  growth  is 
extremely  scanty  the  effect  is  that  of  desolate  grandeur; 
but  in  the  lower  basin-like  valleys,  which  support  a  heavy 
growth  of  coniferous  trees,  the  view  of  one  of  these 
mountain  lakes,  with  its  deep-green  water  and  fringe  of 
meadow-land,  set  in  the  somber  frame  of  pine  forests, 
the  whole  inclosed  by  high  walls  of  reddish  purple  rock 
whose  bedding  gives  almost  the  appearance  of  Cyclopean 
masonry,  forms  a  picture  of  rare  beauty." 

To  the  camper  with  but  a  week  to  spare.  Big  Cotton- 
wood Canyon  offers  the  best  in  the  Wasatch  range.  There 
is  a  good  auto  road  through  this  rugged  canyon,  which 
opens  to  a  beautiful  mountain  valley  at  the  head,  sur- 
rounded by  mountains  extending  above  timber  line.  Spe- 
cial camp  grounds  have  been  improved  by  the  Forest  Ser- 
vice near  the  head  of  the  canyon  for  the  benefit  of  the 
public. 

Brighton,  in  Big  Cottonwood  Canyon  and  twenty-six 
miles  from  Salt  Lake  City,  is  one  of  the  choice  summer 
colonies  of  Utah.     Hundreds  of  people  spend  their  sum- 


ST 


AND    OF    ENGELMANN    Sl'RUCE,    UINTA    NATIONAL    FOREST. 


The  National  Forests  of  Utah  229 

mers  here  among  the  lofty  peaks  and  glacial  lakes  of  the 
Wasatch  range.  Near  Brighton  several  blocks  of  excel- 
lent summer  home  sites  are  rapidly  being  leased  by  the 
Forest  Service  to  those  who  wish  to  erect  their  own  per- 
manent summer  camps. 

Much  of  the  region  within  and  adjacent  to  the  Uinta 
Forest,  with  headquarters  at  Provo,  is  now  traversed  by 
good  automobile  roads.  Strawberry  Valley,  wherein 
nestles  the  great  Strawberry  Reservoir,  an  artificial  lake 
seven  and  one-half  miles  long  and  five  miles  wide,  is 
readily  accessible  to  automobiles.  This  beautiful  valley 
was  at  one  time  extensively  used  by  the  Indians  for  camp- 
ing, and  probably  for  burial  grounds.  Before  their  rude 
wickiups  stretched  thousands  of  acres  of  level  lowland,  on 
which  their  animals  grazed.  Fish  were  easily  caught  in 
the  many  streams,  and  deer  were  plentiful  on  the  nearby 
mountain  slopes.  Small  mounds  are  noticeable  where 
once  their  summer  homes  stood.  The  white  man's  hand 
has  changed  the  scene.  The  level  lowlands  are  now  cov- 
ered with  immense  bodies  of  water  that  eventually  find 
their  way  to  Utah  Valley,  to  be  used  for  irrigation  and 
reward  the  farmer  for  his  day  of  toil.  It  is  difficult  to 
find  in  the  Uinta  Mountains  a  place  more  beautiful,  and 
in  a  short  time  the  lake  will  be  fringed  with  summer 
homes  and  resorts. 

Along  the  west  and  north  forks  of  Duchesne  River, 
Rock  Creek  and  their  tributaries,  may  be  observed  the 
daily  work  of  numerous  colonies  of  beaver,  impounding 
the  waters  of  the  streams.  On  the  north  portion  of  this 
forest  are  numerous  lakes,  filled  with  trout,  and  exceed- 
ingly beautiful  in  their  forest  settings. 

In  the  Rock  Creek  and  North  Fork  of  Duchesne  coun- 
try, perpendicular  cliffs  of  igneous  rock  rise  thousands  of 
feet.  These  formations  have  weathered  so  slowly  that 
the  surface  presents  immense  bodies  of  rock  thrown  in 
every  direction  and  impassable  to  any  kind  of  domesti- 


I'SO       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

cated  animals.  Numerous  lakes  lie  at  the  head  of  Rock 
Creek,  surrounded  by  immense  forests  of  lodge-pole  pine 
and  spruce  timber.  The  waters  of  the  lakes  are  as  clear 
as  crystal,  and  mirror  the  outlines  and  pictures  of  the 
country  surrounding  them  with  beautiful  effect. 

Immediately  north  of  the  lakes  rise  Mount  Agassiz, 
which  is  12,433  feet  high;  Bald  Mountain  11,947  feet; 
Reid's  Peak  11,970  feet;  and  Hayden  Peak,  12,419  feet. 
Trails  and  roads  will  gradually  extend  into  this  country, 
and  many  people  will  delight  in  its  wildness  and  natural 
beauty. 

On  the  southern  part  of  the  forest,  near  Nephi,  in 
Juab  County,  is  located  the  well-known  Mount  Nebo,  tow- 
ering to  a  height  of  11,690  feet,  which  was  for  years 
believed  to  be  the  highest  mountain  in  Utah.  A  consid- 
erable part  of  the  summit  of  the  mountain  is  above  timber 
line,  and  immense  snow  banks  of  semi-glacial  formation 
daily  glisten  in  the  summer  sun.  A  few  years  ago  the 
commercial  club  and  leading  citizens  of  Nephi  procured 
elk  to  graze  upon  Mount  Nebo,  and  it  is  no  uncommon 
sight  for  those  who  climb  the  mountain  during  July  and 
August  to  encounter  one  or  more  herds  of  elk.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  there  are  now  about  forty-five  head  in  this 
locality. 

The  Fishlake  National  Forest  derives  its  name  from  Fish 
Lake,  which  is  located  within  its  boundaries.  This  lake 
has  always  been  and  is  today  one  of  the  chief  pleasure- 
resorts  of  Utah.  It  is  so  named  because  of  the  great  num- 
ber of  native  trout  with  which  it  abounds.  These  trout 
are  a  distinct  type  and  average  about  two  pounds  in 
weight,  the  meat  being  red  and  very  firm.  In  the  spring 
of  the  year  these  trout  go  up  the  small  streams  running 
into  the  lake,  for  spawning,  and  provide  a  very  pict- 
uresque sight,  on  account  of  their  great  number.  In  the 
early  days  these  fish  furnished  an  important  item  of  diet 
for  the  Indians  and  early  settlers. 


The  National  Forests  of  Utah  231 

The  State  Fish  and  Game  Department  has  now  stocked 
the  lake  with  six  additional  varieties,  among  which  are 
the  eastern  brook  trout,  rainbow,  steel-head  and  mack- 
inaw.  The  steel-head  and  mackinaw  are  becoming  very 
large,  and  many  are  caught  weighing  from  twelve  to 
twenty  pounds. 

Fish  Lake  has  many  beautiful  camping-places  and  a 
cool  climate.  It  is  located  forty-five  miles  from  Salina 
and  forty  miles  from  Richfield,  and  can  be  reached  by  a 
fair  road  with  either  automobile  or  team. 

The  lake  is  about  seven  miles  long  and  in  places  exceed- 
ingly deep.  Its  bed  is  at  an  altitude  of  over  9,000  feet 
above  sea  level. 

Even  in  summer  the  thermometer  at  the  lake  will  drop 
to  freezing  nearly  every  night,  so  that  a  heavy  coat  or 
wrap  is  comfortable  both  evening  and  morning.  The 
lake  freezes  over  in  November  and  the  ice  does  not  break 
up  until  the  following  April  or  May. 

To  the  north  of  Fish  Lake  is  Seven  Mile  River,  one  of 
the  main  streams  forming  the  Dirty  Devil  or  Fremont 
River.  Here  is  Mount  Marvin,  rising  to  an  elevation  of 
11,800  feet,  one  of  the  highest  peaks  in  the  state.  On  a 
clear  day  one  is  able  to  see  into  seven  counties  of  Utah 
from  the  top  of  this  peak. 

As  a  recreation  area,  the  Sevier  National  Forest 
offers  scenery  probably  unsurpassed  anywhere  in  western 
America,  together  with  excellent  fishing  and  hunting. 
Many  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  the  forest  are 
now  open  to  auto  travel. 

Bryce  Canyon,  "  America's  Fairyland,"  located  in  the 
Sevier,  is  rising  rapidly  to  world-wide  fame.  It  is  a 
scenic  gem,  presenting  to  the  eye  a  marvelously  beautiful 
array  of  towers,  spires,  minarets,  fortresses  and  cathe- 
drals, as  described  more  fully  in  another  chapter.  All 
the  colors  of  the  rainbow  are  noted  in  the  weird  rock  for- 
mations.    As  stated  recently  by  an  artist  of  international 


232       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

reputation,  "  Bryce  Canyon  is  incomparable."  This  can- 
yon or,  more  properly,  amphitheater,  is  within  ready 
access  of  Salt  Lake  City.  Leaving  this  point  at  10:30  in 
the  morning  via  the  Denver  and  Rio  Grande  Railroad, 
the  traveler  reaches  Marysvale  at  7:15  that  evening. 
Here  he  remains  overnight,  and  the  next  morning  pro- 
ceeds by  auto  stage  to  Panguitch,  a  ride  of  three  hours 
and  a  half,  and  thence  to  Bryce  Canyon  twenty-five  miles 
through  Sevier  Valley  and  Redrock  Canyon. 

Panguitch  Lake,  a  crystal  clear  body  of  water  in  the 
heart  of  the  west  division  of  the  forest,  abounds  with  the 
famous  Panguitch  Lake  trout.  On  the  shore  of  this  lake 
a  popular  summer  resort  is  developing.  The  State  of 
Utah  has  a  fish  hatchery  near  Panguitch  Lake  with  a 
yearly  production  of  a  million  fry. 

Another  attraction  of  great  interest  is  the  Mammoth 
Cave.  This  cave  has  underground  passages  from  fifty  to 
one  hundred  feet  in  width,  with  the  ceiling  or  roof  from 
five  to  twenty  feet  above  the  floor.  The  length  of  the 
underground  passages  totals  at  least  a  half  mile. 

The  Blue  Springs,  Mammoth  Springs,  Tommy  Creek 
Springs,  Assay  Creek  Springs,  and  the  Duck  Creek 
Springs  are  becoming  widely  known.  These  springs  have 
craters  from  twenty  to  forty  feet  in  depth  and  from  fifty 
to  one  hundred  feet  across,  while  far  beneath  the  surface, 
speckled  beauties  may  be  seen  swimming  in  the  pellu- 
cid waters. 

The  Dixie  Forest,  the  farthest  south  of  the  Utah 
National  Forests,  while  somewhat  more  difficult  of  access 
than  some  of  the  others,  more  than  repays  the  traveler 
who  makes  the  journey.  This  section  is  reached  via  the 
Salt  Lake  Route,  leaving  the  railroad  at  Lund,  from  which 
point  auto  stages  make  the  trip  to  Cedar  City,  the  forest 
headquarters,  and  St.  George  the  capital  of  Utah's  "Dixie- 
land," so  named  because  it  produced  the  cotton  used  by 
the  Mormon  pioneers,  during  the  Civil  War.     St.  George 


The  National  Forests  of  Utah  233 

with  its  semi-tropical  climate,  is  becoming  a  Mecca  for 
many  people  who  cannot  withstand  the  more  rigorous 
winters  at  the  high  altitudes.  In  its  vicinity  are  produced 
semi-tropical  fruits,  such  as  pomegranates  and  figs, 
together  with  almonds  and  walnuts.  The  town  is  beau- 
tifully situated. 

The  main  feature  of  the  Utah  Division  of  the  Dixie 
Forest,  is  Pine  Valley  Mountain  reaching  an  elevation  of 
over  10,000  feet.  In  order  to  take  advantage  of  the  many 
fine  views  afforded  by  the  various  points  along  Pine  Val- 
ley ridge,  it  is  necessary  to  make  a  saddle  horse  and  pack 
trip  and  camp  on  the  mountain.  The  numerous  small 
grassy  valleys,  surrounded  by  spruce  and  fir  and  traversed 
by  springs  and  streams  of  the  purest  water,  afford  beauti- 
ful camping  places  for  those  who  enjoy  nature  unadorned 
and  unmolested  by  the  hand  of  man.  From  the  east  brink 
of  the  mountain  the  view  is  one  which  for  variableness 
and  beauty  of  coloring  is  unsurpassed  by  anything  to  be 
seen  in  southern  Utah,  where  colors  of  all  kinds  are  scat- 
tered promiscuously.  Mother  Nature  has  seemingly 
attempted  to  make  up  for  the  sparseness  of  the  vegeta- 
tion of  the  hills  by  painting  the  landscape  riotously  with 
all  the  bright  hues  of  the  rainbow.  Certain  it  is  that  in 
no  other  section  of  the  West  can  be  found  the  vivid  col- 
oring which  is  characteristic  of  these  hills.  Far  to  the 
east  a  hundred  miles  or  more  may  be  seen  the  dark  blue 
lines  of  the  Kaibab  Plateau  whose  extreme  southern 
point  overlooks  the  Grand  Canyon  of  the  Colorado  where 
it  yawns  widest  and  deepest.  To  the  south  and  east  and 
a  little  nearer  to  the  observer  rises  the  volcanic  dome  of 
Mount  Trumbull.  In  the  space  between  are  scattered 
haphazard  hills,  valleys,  mountains  and  plains  of  every 
shape  and  hue  apparently  without  regard  to  design  or  sys- 
tem. From  this  point  may  be  seen  the  spires  and  domes 
and  cliffs  and  crags  of  the  Mukuntuweap  or  Zion  Canyon 
National  Park  (see  special  chapter)  and  its  tributaries. 


2:u       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

one  point  of  which  stands  out  distinctly  in  the  form  of 
the  steamboat  of  a  generation  ago.  Here  the  reds,  vermil- 
lions,  and  scarlets  seem  to  be  spread  more  generously  than 
at  any  other  point,  making  the  cliffs  stand  out  startlingly 
distinct  against  the  blue  of  the  sky.  Nearer  by,  the  course 
of  the  Rio  Virgen  may  plainly  be  distinguished,  and  at 
intervals  along  its  banks  are  bright  green  spots  dotted 
with  white  which  we  know  to  be  villages.  All  of  these 
combined  form  a  picture  that  will  hold  attention  for  hours 
at  a  time,  for  the  scope  is  so  great  that  new  points  of 
interest  are  ever  being  discovered. 


TROPHIES    FROM    FISH    LAKE. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  COLOSSAL  NATURAL  BRIDGES  OF  UTAH 

Southeastern  Utah  is  largely  a  terra  incognita  not  only 
to  travelers  in  general,  but  even  to  the  great  mass  of 
people  of  Utah  itself.  In  nearly  forty  years  of  ramblings, 
at  intervals,  either  in  Utah  or  the  adjacent  states,  I  can 
truthfully  say  I  have  not  met  a  hundred  people  who  have 
visited  this  unique  region.  It  has  been  referred  to  cur- 
sorily in  several  chapters,  and  is  named  now  as  the  loca- 
tion, in  San  Juan  county,  of  the  four  most  colossal  natural 
bridges  known  to  man.  That  the  region  is  practically 
unknown  is  demonstrated  by  the  fact  that  it  was  not 
until  1904  that  the  outside  world  heard  of  these  bridges, 
though  it  is  claimed  they  were  first  seen  by  white  men 
in  1883.  It  was  not  long  after  this  date  that  I  personally 
rambled  over  a  portion  of  this  country  and  found  it  a 
vast,  strange  and  weird  land.  In  his  Rainbow  Trail, 
Zane  Grey  describes  it  with  the  pen  of  an  artist.  Its  glo- 
ries and  fascinations  got  into  his  blood,  penetrated  to  his 
innernesses,  and  he  tries,  again  and  again,  to  put  into 
words,  the  sensations  and  emotions  aroused  by  what  he 
saw  and  felt.  And  it  is  because  he  succeeds  so  well  that 
his  readers  are  growing  until  now  they  number  many 
millions. 

In  spite  of  its  inhospitality  one  is  drawn  to  it  with  a 
fascination  it  is  hard  to  overcome.  Though  it  was  winter- 
time and  I  suffered  severely  from  cold,  how  well  I  remem- 
ber, and  with  what  rich  enjoyment,  a  trip  I  made  of  two 
or  three  hundred  miles  with  a  friend  —  a  typical  west- 

235 


23G       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

erner  —  in  his  heavy  freight  wagon.  Day  after  day  we 
rode,  sometimes  never  seeing  a  soul  in  the  twenty-four 
hours.  And  that  was  not  surprising,  for  Garfield  and 
San  Juan  counties,  covering  an  area  of  11,784  square 
miles,  or  one-seventh  the  entire  state,  have  a  combined 
population  less  that  found  in  many  a  country  town  of 
the  middle  west.  How  well  Zane  Grey  describes  a  part  of 
what  we  saw : 

"His  gaze  seemed  impelled  and  held  by  things  afar  — 
the  great  yellow-and-purple  corrugated  world  of  distance, 
now  on  a  level  with  his  eyes.  He  was  drawn  by  the 
beauty  and  grandeur  of  that  scene  and  transfixed  by  the 
realization  that  he  had  dared  to  venture  to  find  a  way 
through  this  vast,  wild,  and  upflung  fastness.  He  kept 
looking  afar,  sweeping  the  three-quartered  circle  of 
horizon  till  his  judgment  of  distance  was  confounded  and 
his  sense  of  proportion  dwarfed  one  moment  and  magni- 
fied the  next.  Then  he  withdrew  his  fascinated  gaze  to 
adopt  the  Indian's  method  of  studying  unlimited  spaces 
in  the  desert  —  to  look  with  slow,  contracted  eyes  from 
near  to  far. 

"  His  companions  had  begun  to  zigzag  down  a  long 
slope,  bare  of  rock,  with  yellow  gravel  patches  showing 
between  the  scant  strips  of  green,  and  here  and  there  a 
scrub-cedar.  Half  a  mile  down,  the  slope  merged  into 
the  green  level.  But  close,  keen  gaze  made  out  this  level 
to  be  a  rolling  plain,  growing  darker  green,  with  blue  lines 
of  ravines,  and  thin,  undefined  spaces  that  might  be 
mirage.  Miles  and  miles  it  swept  and  rolled  and  heaved 
to  lose  its  waves  in  apparent  darker  level.  A  round,  red 
rock  stood  isolated,  marking  the  end  of  the  barren  plain, 
and  farther  on  were  other  round  rocks,  all  isolated,  all  of 
different  shape.  They  resembled  huge  grazing  cattle. 
But  as  Shefford  gazed,  and  his  sight  gained  strength 
from  steadily  holding  it  to  separate  features,  these  rocks 
were   strangely  magnified.     They  grew  and  grew   into 


The  Colossal  Natural  Bridges  of  Utah    237 

mounds,  castles,  domes,  crags,  —  great,  red,  wind-carved 
buttes.  One  by  one  they  drew  his  gaze  to  the  wall  of 
upflung  rock.  He  seemed  to  see  a  thousand  domes  of  a 
thousand  shapes  and  colors,  and  among  them  a  thousand 
blue  clefts,  each  one  a  little  mark  in  his  sight,  yet  which  he 
knew  was  a  canyon." 

And  so  on.  I  wish  I  might  quote  it  all.  Copying  it 
recalls  another  trip  when  I  went  alone  and  rode  horse- 
back over  scores  of  these  wonderful  miles.  But  with  my 
western  friend  there  was  great  enjoyment  day  by  day. 
We  forded  streams,  toiled  up  and  down  rocky  canyons, 
and  wearied  through  miles  of  heavy  sand.  Each  night  we 
camped  at  sundown,  or  thereabouts,  and  while  he  attended 
to  his  horses,  I  lit  a  fire,  put  on  his  coffeepot,  and  prepared 
the  evening  meal.  Then,  before  I  added  the  coffee  to  the 
boiling  water,  I  poured  out  a  sufficient  quantity  into  my 
capacious  cup,  into  which  I  had  placed  a  generous  portion 
of  my  old  standby,  Horllck's  Malted  Milk,  and  while  his 
coffee  came  to  the  boil,  spread  out  our  repast,  which  we 
then  enjoyed  in  the  dancing  light  of  the  replenished  fire. 
What  nights  those  were !  How  deep  the  solitudes !  How 
velvety  black  the  sky  and  brilliantly  large  the  stars !  How 
startling,  at  times,  the  silence!  And  soothed  and  com- 
forted by  my  favorite  camping  beverage,  which,  unlike 
coffee,  never  kept  me  awake,  but  aided  me  to  a  night  of 
restful  sleep,  I  rolled  in  my  blankets  and  soon  sank  into 
deep  oblivion. 

Occasionally  in  the  morning  we  would  find  a  Navaho 
or  a  Paiuti  Indian  had  been  camped  near  us,  and  his 
willingness  to  "  rustle  "  wood  for  the  morning  fire  indi- 
cated that  he  had  very  clear  and  definite  designs  upon  our 
provisions. 

But  I  must  not  thus  reminisce.  We  must  to  the  bridges. 
Let  us  not  forget,  however,  that  it  is  a  country  of  pla- 
teaus and  canyons,  the  main  plateau  being  from  5,000  to 
6,000  feet  above  the  sea,  formed  of  rich  red  sandstone. 


238       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

into  \vhich  the  forces  of  nature  have  cut  deep,  making 
mighty  monuments,  castles,  domes,  spires,  buttes  and  tow- 
ers, the  hke  of  which  cannot  be  found  elsewhere  save  in 
the  Grand  Canyon  and  on  the  walls  of  Zion  Canyon  and 
of  the  Rio  Virgen. 

Over  this  plateau  country,  in  1903,  my  good  friend 
Horace  J.  Long,  a  mining  engineer,  who  was  prospecting 
and  placer-mining  on  the  bars  in  the  Canyon  of  the  Colo- 
rado, used  to  ride  every  once  in  awhile,  to  Hite,  Utah,  for 
mail.  On  one  of  these  trips  he  fell  in  with  a  cattleman, 
named  Scorup,  who  asked  him  if  he  had  ever  seen  the 
"  big  arches  "  in  White  Canyon.  Questioning  brought 
fuller  descriptions,  until  Long's  interest  and  curiosity  were 
aroused  sufficiently  to  lead  him  to  arrange  to  make  the 
trip.  It  took  them  three  days  to  ride  from  Dandy  Cross- 
ing on  the  Colorado,  and  as  they  approached  White  Can- 
yon, Scorup  began  to  show  signs  of  nervousness  as  if 
apprehensive  lest  his  memory  should  have  led  him  to  mag- 
nify the  size  and  grandeur  of  what  he  had  seen  eight  years 
before.    Now  let  Mr.  Long  tell  the  story  :* 

"  The  canyon  varied  from  perhaps  three  hundred  to 
five  hundred  feet  in  width,  and  had  many  curves  and 
abrupt  changes  of  direction.  The  walls  rose  to  a  perpen- 
dicular height  of  about  four  hundred  feet,  and  in  many 
places  far  overhung  their  bases.  The  bottom  was  very 
rough  and  uneven,  and  at  that  season  a  considerable 
stream  of  water  was  flowing  in  a  narrow  channel,  cut  in 
most  places  to  a  considerable  depth  below  the  average  level. 

"  Pushing  their  horses  as  rapidly  as  possible  up  the 
canyon,  and  eagerly  making  their  way  around  the  masses 
of  debris,  which  in  many  places  had  fallen  from  the  cliffs 
above,  the  travelers  proceeded  about  a  mile  when  they 
rounded  a  short  curve  in  the  canyon  wall  and  had  their 
first  view  of  one  of  Scorup's  arches.  Extravagant  indeed 
must  have  been  their  expectations  to  experience  any  dis- 

'The  Century  Magazine,  August,  1904. 


The  Colossal  Natural  Bridges  of  Utah    239 

appointment  at  sight  of  the  colossal  natural  bridge  before 
them.  Yet,  from  the  scenic  point  of  view,  this  bridge  was 
the  least  satisfactory  of  the  three  which  they  visited.  Its 
walls  and  buttresses  are  composed  of  pinkish  sandstone, 
streaked  here  and  there  with  green  and  orange-colored 
moss  or  lichens.  But  its  outlines  are  quite  irregular;  the 
projecting  walls  of  the  canyon  interrupt  the  view,  and  the 
tremendous  mass  of  stone  above  the  arch  tends  to  dwarf 
the  height  and  width  of  the  span." 

In  the  naming  of  the  bridges  neither  the  original  dis- 
coverers, nor  the  government,  it  seems  to  me,  has  been  for- 
tuitous. Scorup  suggested  that  this  first  bridge  be  named 
Caroline,  or  Carolyn,  in  honor  of  his  wife,  but  the  gov- 
ernment officials  have  changed  the  name  to  "Katchina," 
which  is  the  name  of  a  Hopi  divinity.  Why  not  have 
found  the  Indian  names  used  by  the  natives,  and  learning 
their  significance,  have  retained  them? 

The  Katchina  bridge  has  a  span  of  one  hundred  fifty- 
six  feet  from  side  to  side,  and  ninety-eight  feet  in  the 
center,  while  the  total  height  is  two  hundred  five  feet, 
with  a  width  on  top  of  forty-nine  feet. 

"  Sharp  corners  and  broken  lines  here  and  there  in  the 
arch  and  buttresses  show  the  unfinished  work  of  the  art- 
isan. Nature  has  not  yet  given  the  final  touches ;  but  wind 
and  storm  and  driving  sand  will  continue  to  chisel  and 
polish  until  the  lines  are  all  graceful  curves  adding  greater 
beauty  to  the  most  massive  of  the  bridges.  Beneath  its 
broad  arch,  a  spring  of  cold  water  invites  one  to  *  bide  a 
wee  and  dinna  fret.'  "* 

The  travelers  then  toiled  another  two  miles  over  the 
rugged  and  boulder-strewn  bed  of  the  main  fork  of  the 
canyon  and  there  found  a  second  bridge.  Long  called  it 
Augusta,  in  honor  of  his  wife,  while  the  officials  have  des- 
ignated it  Shipapu,  which  is  the  Hopi  name  for  the  hole 
of  emergence  of  the  spirits  from  the  underworld. 

*The  Great  Natural  Bridges  of  Utah.    Bulletin  of  the  University  of  Utah,  Nov.,  1910. 


-40       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

"  The  span  is  one  hundred  fifty-seven  feet  high  and  two 
hundred  sixty-one  feet  long  at  the  bottom.  It  is  two  hun- 
dred twenty-two  feet  from  the  creek-bed  to  the  top  of  the 
bridge,  and  the  road-bed  is  twenty-eight  feet  wide.  It  is 
the  crowning  glory  of  the  three  bridges.  It  combines 
massiveness  with  gracefulness  of  proportions  that  give  an 
altogether  pleasing  and  satisfying  effect.  .  .  .  One 
climbs  to  the  cliff  above  and  watches  the  play  of  sunshine 
and  shadow  upon  the  warm  coloring  of  the  rich  reds  and 
browns  of  the  enduring  sandstone  that  forms  its  arches 
and  buttresses  and  comprehends  the  gracefulness  of  its 
outlines  and  proportions  as  a  whole,  and  he  seems  unable 
to  tear  fiimself  away  from  the  spell  its  might  and  beauty 
throw  around  him."* 

The  third  bridge  is  found  some  six  miles  from  the 
Katchina  bridge,  up  in  Armstrong  Canyon,  about  three 
miles  above  where  it  opens  into  White  Canyon.  Long 
called  it  the  Little  Bridge,  but  it  is  officially  designated 
Owachomo.  Why  it  should  have  been  called  "  little  "  it 
is  hard  to  understand,  for  it  has  a  span  of  one  hundred 
ninety-four  feet  and  an  elevation  of  one  hundred  eight 
feet.  Perhaps  it  was  so  named  on  account  of  the  thin- 
ness of  the  bridge,  for  this  is  a  long  arch,  only  ten  feet 
thick  in  the  center  and  thus  gives  an  impression  of  light- 
ness and  grace  that  is  most  pleasing.  It  is  flanked  with 
domes  and  turrets,  nature-fashioned,  and  nestling  in  a 
cave  worn  into  the  sunny  side  of  the  cliff  near  one  end 
are  the  deserted  homes  of  a  village  of  Cliff-Dwellers. 

These  three  bridges  comprise  what  is  known  as  the 
"  Natural  Bridges'  National  Monument,"  but  the  same 
forces  that  created  these  have  been  at  work  in  a  near-by 
region.  About  midway  between  the  junction  of  the  San 
Juan  River  with  the  Colorado,  and  the  Crossing  of  the 
Padres,  slightly  to  the  east  of  the  iiith  parallel  of  longi- 
tude, another  magnificent  bridge  was  found  in  a  canyon 

*Tke  Great  Natural  Bridges  of  Utah,  Bulletin  of  the  University  of  Utah,  Nov.,  1910. 


The  Colossal  Natural  Bridges  of  Utah    241 

tributary  to  the  Colorado.  This  canyon  is  called  by  the 
Navaho  Indians  Nonnezoshie  Boko  —  the  Canyon  of  the 
Stone  Rainbow.  While  it  is  a  glorious  arch  of  vast  pro- 
portions it  seems  less  of  a  bridge  than  those  of  White 
Canyon  because  the  top  of  the  span  is  not  level.  It  is 
three  hundred  eight  feet  high  and  two  hundred  seventy- 
four  feet  long,  and  reaches  from  the  wall  on  one  side  of 
the  deep  gorge,  to  a  bench  on  the  other.  In  places  below 
the  arch,  the  clifTs  that  tower  far  above  and  form  prac- 
tically perpendicular  walls  on  either  side,  draw  so  close 
together  that  there  is  barely  room  to  pass  through  by 
wading  the  small  stream  in  the  narrow  channel.  In  the 
springtime  when  the  snows  melt  or  heavy  rains  fall  this 
stream  becomes  a  raging  torrent  which  would  endanger 
the  life  of  the  traveler  venturesome  enough  to  attempt  to 
pass  up  the  canyon.  But  even  in  summertime  good  water 
is  abundant,  though  grass  is  scarce,  so  that  one  must  pro- 
vide himself  with  feed  for  his  horses.  That  the  region 
is  rough  and  so  generally  inhospitable  that  even  the 
Indians  keep  away  from  it  will  deter  some  people  from 
attempting  to  visit  it,  but  this  will  serve  as  an  incitement 
to  others.  Zane  Grey  well  describes  the  thrill  as  one 
reaches  the  point  where  he  is  enabled  to  see  beyond 
the  jutting  wall  that  for  a  long  time  obstructs  the  trav- 
eler's view : 

"  A  mile  beyond  all  was  bright  with  the  colors  of  sun- 
set and  spanning  the  canyon  in  the  graceful  shape  and 
beautiful  hues  of  a  rainbow  was  a  magnificent  stone 
bridge. 

"  This  rainbow  bridge  was  the  one  great  natural  phe- 
nomenon, the  one  grand  spectacle,  which  Shejfford  had 
ever  seen  that  did  not  at  first  give  vague  disappointment, 
a  confounding  of  reality,  a  disenchantment  of  contrast 
with  what  the  mind  had  conceived. 

"  But  this  thing  was  glorious.  It  silenced  him,  yet  did 
not  awe  or  stun.     His  body  and  brain,  weary  and  dull 


i!42      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

from  the  toil  of  travel,  received  a  singular  and  revivifying 
freshness.  He  had  a  strange,  mystic  perception  of  this 
rosy-hued  stupendous  arch  of  stone,  as  if  in  a  former  life 
it  had  been  a  goal  he  could  not  reach.  This  wonder  of 
nature,  though  all-satisfying,  all-fulfilling  to  his  artist 
soul,  could  not  be  a  resting-place  for  him,  a  destination 
where  something  awaited  him,  a  height  he  must  scale  to 
find  peace,  the  end  of  his  strife.  But  it  seemed  all  these. 
He  could  not  understand  his  perception  or  his  emotion. 
Still,  here  at  last,  apparently,  was  the  rainbow  of  his  boy- 
ish dreams  and  of  his  manhood  —  a  rainbow  magnified 
even  beyond  those  dreams,  no  longer  transparent  and 
etherial,  but  solidified,  a  thing  of  ages,  sweeping  up  majes- 
tically from  the  red  walls,  its  iris-hued  arch  against  the 
blue  sky."* 

This  bridge  was  made  a  national  monument  by  procla- 
mation issued  by  President  Taft,  May  13,  1910,  under  the 
title  "  Rainbow  Bridge  National  Monument."  A  few 
miles  north  of  Navaho  Mountain  there  are  two  other 
bridges,  of  large  size  and  relative  importance,  the  "  Owl," 
and  the  "  Crag,"  but  both  are  dwarfed  into  insignificance 
by  the  White  Canyon  and  Rainbow  bridges.  Yet  there 
is  another  great  bridge,  thus  described  by  Dr.  Byron 
Cummings : 

"  In  November,  1909,  under  the  guidance  of  Dr.  John 
Williams,  of  Moab,  we  visited  a  natural  bridge  on  the 
edge  of  Grand  county  that  deserves  to  be  classed  with 
those  of  San  Juan  county  among  the  great  natural  won- 
ders of  our  continent.  This  is  a  graceful  arch  with  a  total 
elevation  of  sixty-two  feet,  and  a  span  of  one  hundred 
twenty-two  feet  long  and  forty-nine  feet  high.  It  stands 
beside  the  cliff  on  the  western  edge  of  Pritchett  Valley; 
and  has  been  fashioned  under  somewhat  different  condi- 
tions from  those  prevailing  during  the  construction  of  the 
other  Utah  natural  bridges.    Here  there  has  been  no  nar- 

*The  Rainbow  Trail,  by  Zane  Grey. 


The  Augusta,  or  Shipapu,  Colossal  Natural  Bridge 

From  the  original  painting  in  the  collection  of  Col.  E.  F.  Holmes 


The  Colossal  Natural  Bridges  of  Utah    243 

row  zigzag  canyon  through  which  the  waters  surged  in 
former  times,  but  quite  a  large  valley,  some  three  miles 
long  and  from  one-fourth  to  one-half  a  mile  wide.  On 
the  sides  of  this  irregular  basin  rise  rugged  cliffs  that  jut 
into  the  valley  here  and  there  in  sharp  points  and  rounded 
domes.  The  upper  surfaces  of  these  cliffs  stretch  back  in 
bare  undulating  fields  of  sandstone  much  eroded  by  wind 
and  water.  Caves  have  been  hollowed  out  of  these  cliffs 
and  various  and  numerous  natural  reservoirs  are  found 
scattered  on  the  surface  of  these  bare  rocks  where  soft 
places  have  been  found  in  the  stone,  or  whirling  eddies  in 
former  ages  have  ground  out  cisterns.  Some  of  these  are 
mere  shallow  tanks,  while  others  reach  down  twenty  feet 
and  more  through  the  solid  sandstone.  Some  are  irregu- 
lar and  winding  in  their  course,  while  others  look  as 
though  they  had  been  sunk  by  some  Titanic  drill  when  the 
gods  were  playing  with  the  earth's  crust.  A  few  drain 
considerable  areas  of  the  cliff,  and  in  time  of  storm  many 
a  rushing  torrent  loses  itself  in  their  depths.  In  a  few 
instances  such  a  reservoir  has  been  formed  directly  behind 
a  cave  that  was  being  hollowed  out  of  the  side  of  the  cliff. 
As  the  walls  of  the  cave  gradually  extended  backward  far- 
ther and  farther  into  the  cliff,  the  reservoir  was  sunk 
deeper  and  enlarged  little  by  little  until  its  bottom  broke 
through  into  the  back  of  the  cave.  Then  the  waters 
formerly  gathered  into  the  reservoir  and  held  surged 
through  the  cave  and  lost  themselves  in  the  valley  below. 
Every  downpour  of  rain  and  every  driving  wind  carried 
the  work  a  little  farther  until  the  former  roof  of  the  cave 
became  an  arch.  When  the  reservoir  held  the  waters  until 
its  depth  about  equalled  that  of  the  cave,  then  the  grace- 
fully curving  arch  of  the  cave  became  a  real  bridge  as  in 
the  case  of  the  fine  arch  already  mentioned  which  we  have 
christened  Pikyabo  (Pee-kya-bo),  the  Ute  name  for 
water  tank."* 

*Tke  Great  Natural  Bridges  of  Utah. 


1'  1 1       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

In  the  same  monog^raph  Dr.  Cummings  thus  explains 
the  origin  of  Nonnezoshie  and  the  White  Canyon  bridges  : 

"  Ages  ago  the  great  sandstone  beds  overlying  this 
entire  region  must  have  been  pushed  upwards  by  the  inter- 
nal forces  of  the  earth  until  in  the  places  of  their  greatest 
elevation  the  various  strata  separated,  mountains  were 
formed,  and  large  cracks  opened  up  that  extended  in  zig- 
zag lines  away  through  the  slopes  of  this  vast  table-land. 
This  process  of  elevation  was  undoubtedly  a  gradual  one; 
and,  as  the  waters  of  the  mountain  sought  a  lower  level, 
they  took  their  courses  through  these  irregular  crevices, 
searching  for  the  ocean  which  was  then  not  far  away. 
Their  rushing  currents  and  surging  eddies  wore  off  the 
sharp  corners,  sought  out  the  soft  places  in  the  yielding 
sandstone,  dug  out  deep  caverns,  and  recesses  in  the  cliffs, 
and  left  behind  them  a  series  of  graceful  curves  and  fan- 
tastic forms  that  amaze  and  delight  the  traveler  at  every 
turn.  As  the  formation  was  pushed  upward  from  time  to 
time,  these  rushing  currents  and  surging  estuaries  kept  on 
with  their  work  of  cutting,  smoothing,  and  filing  until 
they  produced  the  deep  box  canyons  so  prevalent  in  this 
section,  which  sometimes  widen  out  into  small  valleys  of 
rich  alluvial  deposit,  and  again  narrow  down  to  mere 
slits  between  huge  masses  of  cliffs. 

"  This  elevation  and  opening  of  the  formation  often 
left  a  narrow  section  of  the  cliff  extending  out  into  the 
gorge  for  rods,  around  which  the  stream  had  to  make  its 
way  as  it  rushed  onward  in  its  course.  The  constant  surg- 
ing of  the  waters  against  this  barrier  revealed  a  soft  place 
in  the  sandstone,  where  it  gradually  ate  out  a  half  dome- 
shaped  cave.  In  a  few  instances,  as  the  water  swirled 
around  the  other  side  of  this  barrier,  they  reached  the  cor- 
respondingly soft  place  on  the  opposite  side  and  ground 
out  a  similar  half  dome  there.  When,  in  the  course  of 
time,  the  backs  of  these  two  semi-circular  caves  came 


The  Colossal  Natural  Bridges  of  Utah    245 


together,  the  waters  found  a  shorter  course  through  that 
opening,  enlarged  the  archway  and  smoothed  off  and 
rounded  into  graceful  curves  the  sides  of  its  massive  but- 
tresses. Thus  a  bridge  was  formed  and  became  a  mighty 
span  of  enduring  rock,  whose  foundations  and  graceful 
superstructure  were  laid  by  the  ages." 


CHAPTER  XVII 

BIRD  LIFE  IN  UTAH 

It  is  natural  to  expect  that  with  its  wonderfully  diver- 
sified topography  Utah  has  an  extensive,  diversified,  and 
consequently,  exceedingly  interesting  bird  life.  When  it 
is  recalled  that  here  are  plateaus,  ranging  from  sea-level 
to  4.000  feet  and  more  in  altitude ;  mountains  that  tower 
to  12,000,  13,000  and  higher;  seamed  with  canyons, 
gorges,  ravines,  down  which  laughing,  babbling,  brawl- 
ing brooks  come  tumbling,  their  banks  lined  with  sedge, 
grass,  bulrush,  bush  and  tree ;  desert,  wild,  trackless,  hot 
and  tropical ;  alpine  forests  where  snow  lingers  on  moun- 
tain slopes  for  twelve  months  in  the  year ;  immense  inland 
lakes  of  salt  water,  as  well  as  clear  mountain  lakes  of 
sparkling  snow-water,  where  alpine  and  aquatic  fowl  love 
to  dwell  and  breed,  and  that  throughout  the  whole  state, 
in  valley  and  plain,  on  foothill  and  in  canyon,  on  edge  of 
forest  and  desert,  man  has  made  his  home,  planted  corn- 
fields and  fruit-orchards  —  I  say,  when  all  these  varied 
features  are  recalled,  it  can  well  be  seen  that  it  is  only 
reasonable  to  expect  a  large  and  varied  ornithology. 

And  the  student  is  not  disappointed.  From  my  own  cas- 
ual observations  of  nearly  forty  years,  supplemented  by 
the  careful  studies  of  Dr.  Charles  G.  Plummer,  and 
several  other  Utah  bird  lovers  I  have  gathered  the  mate- 
rial here  presented.  It  makes  no  pretense  of  being  more 
than  a  mere  skimming  of  the  surface  of  the  subject,  to 
lure  the  deeper  student  to  fuller  knowledge. 

If  one  were  to  arrive  in  Salt  Lake  City  at  night,  and 

246 


Bird  liife  in  Utah 247 

awaken  about  sunrise  after  a  refreshing  sleep,  he  would 
doubtless  be  surprised  at  the  variety  of  bird  songs  that 
would  greet  his  ears  —  even  in  the  heart  of  the  city.  For 
Salt  Lake  City  is  unique.  Its  streets  are  wide,  and  even 
in  the  business  heart,  where  there  are  few  trees,  there  is 
waste  and  flush  water  flowing  down  the  gutters  on  either 
side,  and  there  are  open  spaces  here  and  there  where  green 
lawns,  shrubs,  and  trees  are  found.  In  June  mornings  I 
have  heard  the  linnets  in  great  numbers  on  buildings  in 
Main  Street,  and  the  cheery  song  of  the  robins,  and  a  few 
blocks  away  from  the  city's  center,  hundreds  of  meadow- 
larks,  each  of  which,  like  Browning's  English  thrush: 

"  Sings  each  song  twice  over, 
Lest  you  should  think  he  cannot  recapture 
That  first,  fine  careless  rapture." 

A  walk  around  the  outskirts  of  the  city  will  reveal  ori- 
oles, flickers,  red-winged  blackbirds,  sparrows  of  several 
varieties,  juncos,  screech  owls,  short-eared  owls,  sparrow- 
hawks,  sharp  shinned  marsh-hawks,  and  western  red- 
tailed  hawks.  As  I  listened  to  a  glorious  song  from  the 
bursting-throat  of  a  happy  linnet  I  recalled  those  beautful 
lines  from  the  Baltimore  Sun: 

"  He  sat  on  a  little  pulpit 

That  was  made  of  the  twig  of  a  tree, 
And  he  preached  us  the  happiest  sermon 

That  bubbled  with  sunshine  and  glee: 
His  text  was  the  blue  sky  burning 

In  the  glory  of  all  its  sweet, 
And  his  theme  was  the  beauty  of  heaven 

That  lies  at  our  very  feet." 

And  what  a  sight  it  is  in  the  warm  hours  of  the  day  to 
see  the  birds  taking  their  baths  in  the  cool  clear  flowing 
water  of  the  streets.  Robins,  sparrows,  linnets,  pine 
siskins,  chipping  sparrows  and  all,  in  the  most  joyous  and 


248       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

friendly  of  terms,  for,  whatever  our  students  may  tell  us 
of  the  quarrelsome  nature  of  the  English  sparrow,  I  must 
in  honor  confess  that,  here,  I  have  never  seen  him  mis- 
behave with  other  birds. 

I  have  seen  more  swallows  in  one  month  in  Utah  than 
I  have  seen  in  a  year  in  California,  How  interesting  it  is 
to  watch  eave  swallows  build  their  mud-covered  basket- 
nests,  and  then  bring  up  their  young.  And  the  robins  are 
equally  unafraid.  They  will  nest  where  the  mother  bird 
can  be  readily  seen,  while  the  male  will  perch  nearby  and 
make  the  morning  hours  joyous  with  his  rich,  deep-toned, 
mellow  songs.  Then  the  house-finch,  various  fly-catchers, 
the  kingbird,  the  house  wren  and  the  humming  bird  are 
commonly  seen,  the  latter  darting  to  and  fro  in  jeweled 
splendor  and  glory,  attracting  the  eye  as  it  poises,  its 
rapidly  moving  wings  humming  in  gentle  monotone.  I 
have  several  friends  who  have  made  friends  with  the  hum- 
ming bird,  so  that  they  have  nested  in  the  rosebushes 
close  by  the  windows,  where  all  could  sit  and  watch  them, 
and  Dr.  Plummer  has  made  beautiful  pictures  of  them 
upon  their  nests,  feeding  their  young,  or  protecting  them 
from  the  cold. 

Of  woodpeckers  there  are  many  varieties,  including  the 
red-shafted  flicker,  the  downy,  the  red-naped  and  the 
Lewis,  and  the  long-crested,  the  Woodhouse  and  the 
Rocky  Mountain  jays  are  common  visitors  along  the  foot- 
hills. The  western  magpie,  too,  is  often  found  and  it  is 
not  unusual  to  find  well-trained  caged  specimens  that  have 
been  taught  to  talk. 

Nut-hatches,  the  pigmy,  white-breasted  and  slender- 
billed,  —  the  little  brown  creeper  and  chickadee  add  joy 
to  the  scene,  and  it  is  not  uncommon  to  find  the  house- 
finches,  yellow  warblers  and  Audubon  warblers  all  singing 
in  concert  together  after  they  have  devoured  their  fill  of 
grubs,  worms  and  insects.  While  there  are  not  as  many 
mourning-doves  as  there  used  to  be  in  early  days  there  are 


Bird  Life  in  Utah 249 

still  enough  in  the  quieter  groves  and  in  the  mouths  of 
the  canyons  to  fill  the  ears  with  their  quiet  and  gentle  cry. 
How  vividly  they  bring  to  mind  Joaquin  Miller's  exquisite 
and  passionately  human  verses : 

"  Come,  listen,  O  love,  to  the  voice  of  the  dove, 
Come,  harken,  and  hear  him  say : 
There  are  many  tomorrows,  my  love,  my  love, 
But  only  one  today. 

•  ••••••• 

Now  what  is  thy  secret,  serene  gray  dove, 

Of  singing  so  sweetly  alway? 
There  are  many  tomorrows,  my  love,  my  love, 

But  only  one  today." 

Oh  could  men  and  women  but  learn  that  wonderful  les- 
son of  Christ  philosophy,  to  live  today,  taking  no  heed  for 
the  material  things  of  tomorrow,  but  filling  the  now  with 
glad,  joyous  and  helpful  service  for  mankind. 

Along  the  River  Jordan  and  in  the  hills  one  may  see 
the  white-crowned  sparrow,  a  little  larger  than  the  ordi- 
nary sparrow,  and  with  its  tri-streaked  crown  of  white 
with  black  on  each  side,  which  it  raises  like  a  crest  when 
startled  or  surprised.  Its  white-barred  wings  also  serve 
to  identify  it,  though  when  one  has  once  heard  its  song  he 
is  certain  to  know  it  again.  So  rich  and  fine  is  this  song 
that  the  bird  is  often  called  the  northern  nightingale. 
When  kindly  treated  he  is  very  friendly  and  will  nest 
close  by,  where  he  helps  the  farmer  by  his  industry  in 
gathering  weed-seeds  and  insects.  In  some  parts  of  Utah 
I  am  told  he  is  quite  common,  and  that  during  the  winter 
months,  while  he  sings  in  spite  of  the  windy  blasts,  he  will 
come  to  the  open  window  for  whatever  crumbs  or  seeds 
are  spread  for  him. 

Quite  as  frequent  is  the  desert  horned  lark.  At  first 
the  uninformed  casual  observer  might  take  him  for  a 
sparrow,  but  more  careful  observation  reveals  the  tiny 


250       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

black  liorns  of  feather,  the  black  spots  on  the  crest  and 
breast  and  a  streak  of  black  on  each  side  of  his  head,  and 
the  brown  and  white  and  yellow  on  his  breast,  all  of  which 
tell  who  he  is.  He  is  one  of  the  most  numerous  of  Utah's 
winter  birds  and  lives  almost  entirely  on  weed-seeds  dur- 
ing the  cold  season.  In  the  spring  and  summer  he  eats 
quantities  of  insects  as  well.  Hence  he  is  of  great  value 
to  the  farmers.  He  swarms  over  the  desert  and  down 
into  the  valleys,  on  the  meadows  and  along  the  roadways 
and  all  over  the  fallow  lands  in  company  with  several 
kinds  of  sparrow-like  birds. 

At  the  mouth  of  Cottonwood  and  other  canyons  that  lie 
east  of  Salt  Lake  there  are  several  glacial  moraines 
almost  entirely  devoid  of  verdure.  In  December  and 
January'  flocks  of  desert  sparrows,  chipping  sparrows  and 
song  sparrows  literally  amounting  to  five  and  even  ten 
thousand,  may  be  seen,  their  rising  and  falling  at  times 
making  them  appear  almost  like  clouds.  The  morning 
hours  are  simply  indescribable  with  the  rich  glory  of 
their  song. 

On  and  near  the  desert  the  desert-'sparrow,  the  desert 
sage-thrasher,  the  owl,  the  vulture,  the  eagle  and  various 
hawks  are  to  be  found.  And  the  butcher  bird  now  and 
again  must  be  here,  for  observers  have  seen  mangled  spar- 
rows impaled  on  sharp  twigs,  awaiting  the  return  of  the 
killer  for  the  remains  of  his  feast.  The  sage-thrasher 
nests  in  the  low-grown,  scrubby  greasewood,  but  often 
the  fledgelings  fail  to  come  to  maturity,  some  tragedy 
depriving  them  of  their  parents,  and  thus  preventing  their 
sweet  and  tender  song  giving  joy  to  the  wild  and  solitary 
places.  The  desert-thrasher  is  found  in  great  numbers 
along  the  lakeshores  and  on  the  islands,  and  far  into  the 
deserts  of  eastern  Nevada.  Oftentimes,  if  one  has  spent 
the  night  on  one  of  the  islands  or  near  the  western  shore 
of  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  he  will  be  awakened  by  a  chorus 


Bird  Life  in  Utah 251 

of  innumerable  sage-thrashers,  meadow-larks  and  blue- 
birds whose  song  is  as  glorious  as  it  is  surprising. 

In  the  fall  and  winter  large  flocks  of  gregarious  birds 
may  be  seen  flying  all  over  the  reclaimed  and  naturally 
verdant  country  and  foothills  and  amongst  them  may 
often  be  found  the  gold-finch.  Somewhat  smaller  than 
the  English  sparrow  and  of  a  soiled  yellow,  with  little 
black  on  his  head  and  a  slightly  forked  tail,  flying  in  wavy 
undulations,  he  is  not  hard  to  recognize. 

Of  the  gregarious  birds  one  must  not  forget  the  flocks 
of  blackbirds  which  are  found  here  all  through  the  win- 
ter, together  with  the  cheery  and  songful  robin,  and  the 
meadow-lark.  There  is  scarcely  a  day  in  the  year 
when  these  interesting  and  delightful  songsters  may  not 
be  heard. 

Then,  too,  there  are  many  coveys  of  quail  —  the  moun- 
tain quail,  the  California  crested,  and  even  a  few  imported 
Bob- Whites,  and  who  that  has  heard  their  morning  song 
of  thankfulness  —  "  God  be  praised,  God  be  praised  "  — 
has  not  joyed  in  their  presence.  In  the  fall  and  winter, 
when  natural  food  is  scarce  they  come  into  the  valleys  and 
those  farmers  who  are  wise  to  their  own  farms'  and 
orchards'  benefit  scatter  feed  for  these  weed-seed  and 
insect-pest  devourers. 

Short-eared  and  screech  owls  are  common,  while  barn 
owls  are  very  rarely  seen.  Perhaps  many  of  my  readers 
have  never  dreamed  of  the  interest  one  might  have  in 
watching  these  birds  catch  their  prey  —  the  rats,  mice  and 
other  rodents  that  are  so  destructive  to  the  farmer.  Wear- 
ing light  or  straw-colored  clothing,  as  near  as  possible, 
when  night-4;ime  comes,  those  who  wish  to  see  the  noc- 
turnal hunters  at  work  should  go  to  the  haystack  and  as 
noiselessly  as  possible  find  shelter,  at  the  same  time  cover- 
ing themselves  with  hay.  Soon  the  faint  "  Whoo-ooh !  " 
of  the  owl  is  heard,  and  then  a  winged  shadow  passes. 
This  is  mother  owl,  moving  as  silently  as  a  moonbeam. 


252       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

Then  follows  her  mate,  and  a  third  and  a  fourth,  but  the 
most  intently-listening  ear  never  catches  the  faintest  swish 
of  a  wing. 

Now  watch  and  listen,  even  more  carefully  than  before. 
Soon  there  may  be  a  slight  rustle  in  the  hay  a  few  feet 
away.  It  is  a  mouse  going  out  for  food,  or  to  make  a 
neighborly  call,  but  though  neither  he,  nor  you  can  see 
even  the  shadow  of  an  owl  in  the  near-by  tree,  the  mouse 
is  no  sooner  away  from  the  hay  than  the  owl  pounces 
down,  strikes  and  grabs  and  the  poor  mouse  is  doomed. 

To  some  this  may  seem  an  unwise  thing  to  teach  a  child, 
and  a  cruel  thing  for  himself  to  observe.  But  I  fully 
agree  with  Dr.  Plummer  in  his  idea  that  so  long  as  this  is 
Nature's  plan  it  is  as  well  for  us  to  observe,  study  and 
learn  rather  than  criticize.  This  is,  at  least,  one  way  of 
ridding  farms  of  rodent  pests. 

In  the  fir  trees  of  the  mountains  there  are  still  many 
dusky  and  ruffed  grouse  to  be  found.  Sometimes  they 
will  remain  quiet  watching  the  strange  visitor,  and  will 
not  fly  unless  some  startling  movement  or  hostile  act 
arouses  them.  And  then  with  a  whiz  and  a  whir  they 
shoot  through  the  air  and  seek  safety  in  flight  and  hiding. 

Still  fairly  numerous  are  the  wonderful  sage  grouse 
next  in  size  and  importance  to  the  American  wild  turkey, 
which  is  now  almost  extinct.  This  fine  species  abounds 
on  sage-brush  plateaus  in  parts  of  Utah,  and  is  probably 
making  its  last  stand  here  and  in  Idaho.  If  Utah  legis- 
lators can  be  made  to  understand  that  the  saving  of  this 
noble  species  from  extinction  now  depends  practically, 
upon  Utah,  laws  will  promptly  be  passed  forbidding  all 
grouse  shooting  for  the  next  twenty  years. 

The  chickadees  are  also  to  be  found  in  the  tree-clad 
mountains  and  in  the  canyons  to  a  great  height.  I  have 
seen  scores  of  them  at  an  altitude  of  8,000,  and  even 
9,000  feet,  and  Dr.  Plummer  states  that  he  has  found 
them    at    12,000    feet.      And    the    cheery    black-capped 


Bird  Life  in  Utah 253 

little  hustlers,  as  they  run  up  and  down  the  fir  or  pine 
trees,  regardless  of  whether  they  are  upside  down  or  not, 
briskly  inspecting  every  crevice  for  insect  eggs  or  winter- 
hidden  larvae,  giving  the  while  their  striking  call,  "  Chick- 
a-dee-dee-dee !  "  always  cheer  and  enhearten  the  moun- 
tain climber. 

'  While  all  parts  of  Utah,  it  will  be  seen,  afford  joy  to 
the  bird  lover  it  is  the  Great  Salt  Lake  and  the  islands 
therein  that  are  particularly  inviting  in  the  opportunity 
they  give  for  exceptional  study  of  bird  ways  and  manners. 
Dr.  Plummer  has  spent  much  time  in  his  twenty-nine 
years  of  Utah  life  in  these  haunts  of  the  pelican,  goose, 
swan,  heron  and  gull  and  from  the  wealth  of  lore  he  has 
garnered  I  am  permitted  to  cull  the  following. 

Nearly  in  the  center  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  is  an  out- 
cropping of  rocks,  some  twenty-two  acres  in  extent,  which 
the  neighboring  inhabitants  call  Bird  Island,  but  which, 
on  the  maps,  is  known  as  Hat  Island,  so  called  because  of 
its  resernblance  to  the  sombrero  of  a  western  cowboy. 
Here  on  one  occasion  Dr.  Plummer  dwelt  for  eighteen 
days,  studying  and  photographing  the  birds,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  added  eight  more  days  of  observations, 
at  the  same  time  taking  moving  pictures  of  the  birds  in 
their  every-day  activities.  He  used  a  large  khaki  umbrella 
blind  from  which  he  made  his  photographs  quietly  and 
carefully  placing  it  where  he  needed  it  and  allowing  the 
birds  to  become  familiar  with  it.  He  found  that  the  peli- 
cans were  the  least  suspicious,  that  the  gulls  were  a  little 
more  so,  while  the  herons,  ever  distrustful,  kept  entirely 
away,  their  eyes  riveted  upon  the  opening  through  which 
he  dared  to  look  upon  them  and  their  homes. 

Country  Life  in  America,  in  April,  1920,  published  an 
illuminative  illustrated  article  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Plum- 
mer about  his  experiences  on  Hat  Island,  He  says  of 
the  pelican : 

"  The  plumage  of  the  pelican  is  mostly  white.     The 


254       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

primaries  and  much  of  the  secondaries  of  the  wings  are 
black.  During  the  breeding  season  the  crown  and  back  of 
the  head  show  very  marked  signs  of  a  crest.  These  crest 
featherings  are  slender  and  thinly  barbed,  having  a  yel- 
lowish tint.  I  have  seen  the  adult  males,  when  frightened 
or  disturbed,  raise  this  crest  to  a  height  of  two  inches  but 
usually  it  lies  quite  close  to  the  head  and  neck,  down 
which  it  extends  in  some  individuals  for  a  number  of 
inches.  These  filmy,  lace-like  appendages  ripple  some- 
times as  though  the  old  bird  had  had  his  crest  up  in  curl- 
papers over  night ! 

"  The  crest  color  varies  with  individuals.  In  some 
birds  there  is  a  marked  gray  mixture  with  the  yellowish 
tinge.  Many,  but  not  all,  of  the  three-quarters-grown 
youngsters  have  a  decided  patch  of  black  on  the  top  of 
the  head,  which  becomes  a  gray-black  farther  down  the 
back  of  the  neck,  and  finally  fades  into  a  dull  white. 

"...  In  the  courting  and  incubating  season  the 
beak  and  the  deeply  and  securely  rooted  pouch  of  soft, 
unplumed  skin  pendent  from  the  lower  mandible,  are  as 
orange-yellow  as  the  feet  and  legs.  In  the  winter  these 
parts  become  a  pale,  yellowish-green.  The  eyes  are 
always  yellowish." 

The  rookery  is  generally  reached  by  the  pelicans  in 
large  flocks  late  in  March,  or  early  in  April.  Prior  to  that 
time  in  the  earlier  months  of  the  year  they  are  to  be  found 
in  the  alkali  swamps,  the  fresh-water  rivers  and  lakes  of 
the  Great  Basin,  where  they  do  their  preliminary  wooing 
and  love  making.  It  is  not  until  mating  is  accomplished 
and  the  urge  of  nest-building  comes  that  the  rookery  is 
aimed  for.  The  nest  is  a  primitive  affair,  yet  there  is  a 
wonderful  difference  in  pelican  nests.  Some  are  mere 
holes  scooped  out  of  the  beds  of  guano-covered  earth  and 
gravel;  others  are  beds  of  sticks,  greasewood  and  shad- 
scale  twigs,  adorned  with  cast-off  sea-gull  feathers.  Gen- 
erally two  eggs  arc  laid,  only  once  did  Dr.  Plummer  find 


Bird  Life  in  Utah 255 

a  nest  containing  three.  When  the  chicks  are  hatched 
there  begins  the  great  business  of  feeding  them.  Here  is 
Dr.  Plummer's  description: 

"  Those  wary  babies  know  about  what  hour  father  and 
mother  are  expected  to  arrive  with  their  fish,  so  they  stand 
expectant,  at  about  10:30  each  morning  greedily  anxious 
for  their  fish  dinner.  It  behooves  those  babies  to  be  on 
the  spot  and  ready,  for  occasionally  one  loses  his  every- 
twenty-four-hours'  meal  by  not  being  on  tiptoe  for  the 
first  helping.     .     .     . 

"  I  was  within  hearing  of  the  dinner  gong  for 
every  meal  served  by  the  pelicans  during  the  twenty-six 
days  of  my  residence  on  the  island,  and  yet  each  day  the 
strangeness  of  the  act  impressed  me  so  greatly  that  I  was 
fascinated.  The  birdling  always  made  the  initial  advances 
toward  mother's  beak.  But  if  he  were  a  tiny  fellow 
unable  to  stand,  the  mother  kindly  bent  far  forward  when 
he  begged  so  coaxingly,  and  allowed  him  to  apply  his  beak 
to  her  mandibular  angle  —  then  the  way  was  open  to  her 
banquet  chamber.  The  parent  always  regurgitated  the 
tiny  quantities  of  partly  digested  fish  into  the  upper  end 
of  her  gullet,  and  there  the  newly  hatched  one  fed,  seem- 
ingly in  as  much  comfort  as  though  he  had  been  able  to 
occupy  an  upright  place  at  table.  His  small  head  often 
went  almost  out  of  sight  into  that  lane-opening  under  the 
careful  guidance  of  the  old  bird.  Adult  birds  never  dis- 
gorge their  food  onto  the  ground  for  the  chicks  to  pick 
up.  They  are  fitted  with  beaks  so  fashioned  that  they 
are  unable  successfully  to  pick  things  off  the  ground.'* 

Occasionally  the  chicks  get  into  trouble  when  they 
reach  far  down  into  the  parents'  "storage  chamber;"  as 
the  following  amusing  incident  in  Dr.  Plummer's  narra- 
tive reveals : 

"  One  day  during  the  height  of  the  busy  season,  the 
anxious,  screaming  cry  of  the  gulls,  '  Help,  help,  help ! ' 
sounded  upon  my  ears.    I  craned  my  neck  with  the  other 


250       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

wild  folk  all  around  me  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  out- 
cry. Off  about  one  hundred  feet  from  my  blind  and 
entirely  out  of  range  of  any  camera  I  noticed  quite  a  com- 
motion among  the  birds.  I  leveled  my  glass  upon  the  spot 
and  made  out  a  large  number  of  greatly  excited  gulls  flit- 
ting around  a  pelican  and  her  chick. 

"  The  scene  was  set  upon  a  rock-floored  area,  rough 
and  much  broken,  and  an  adult  pelican  was  serving  din- 
ner to  a  chick  that  was  nearly  full  grown.  Wrestling 
matches  between  parents  and  their  chicks  after  the  dinner 
had  been  served  were  occurring  every  minute,  so  they 
were  no  particular  novelty  to  me.  But  this  fellow  was  a 
wonderful  entertainer  in  his  own  way.  He  had  gone 
down  '  cellar  '  in  the  usual  way,  had  grabbed  hold  of  the 
first  thing  that  presented  itself,  and  started  to  swallow. 

"  Part  way  down  his  gullet  the  thing  stopped  short. 
The  old  bird  shook  her  head  terrifically  and  bent  her  back 
double  trying  to  disengage  herself.  Strange  to  relate, 
that  chick  was  as  anxious  to  break  away  as  the  parent  was 
to  have  him,  but  he  was  stuck,  he  couldn't  budge! 

"  Locked  in  each  other's  grip  those  wildly  flopping  birds 
wriggled  and  twisted  and  pulled  and  hauled  each  other 
over  the  rocks,  doing  their  best  to  *  git  shet '  of  each 
other.  The  chick  was  powerless  to  tear  away  and  the  old 
bird  could  not  disgorge  him.  In  one  grand  final  effort  to 
free  himself,  for  he  was  strangling,  he  let  go  of  some- 
thing, and  his  head  came  out  with  a  snap  that  caused  him 
to  stagger.  Pell-mell  after  the  youngster's  head,  with 
what  seemed  like  an  earnest  effort  to  get  out,  came  forth 
a  big  carp !  Madame  Pelican's  only  thought  was  to  save 
that  carp.  So  she  set  about  it  in  her  crude  way,  but  with 
great  eagerness  and  enthusiasm.  She  stabbed  at  it  with 
the  end  of  her  beak,  and  side-swiped  it  both  ways  —  but 
the  fish  refused  to  be  lifted  again  into  that  long,  yellow- 
red  lane.  Her  gull  audience  gave  a  merry  *  Pla,  ha,  ha ! ' 
at  her  efforts  to  secure  the  prize  but  not  one  of  them 


^     : 

-f^-^^^^ 

mL^-.. 

.  ■  #"  -   « 

•m 

m^i- 

IF , '^ 

>               »^       .    ■ 

fc»>.j  .^ 

.   ^<^ 

A-  ' 

YOUNG    HERON,    GREAT    SALT    LAKE. 


Bird  Life  in  Utah 257 

offered  to  filch  a  morsel  of  it.  Baby  pelican,  apparently 
overawed  by  the  spectacle  of  a  sedate  bird  cutting  up  such 
capers,  gazed  vacantly  about  him  while  she  gave  her  every 
attention  to  trying  to  pick  up  what  she  had  lost.  She  had 
traveled  many  weary  miles  with  that  fellow  snugly  tucked 
away  in  her  basement  cupboard  and  was  loath  to  give 
him  up.  Occasionally  in  her  efforts  to  rescue  her  prey  it 
tumbled  over  toward  a  pair  of  gulls  hovering  near  by.  In  a 
spasm  of  fear  lest  they  or  some  other  bird  might  seize 
upon  it,  she  charged  that  family  and  all  others  within  reach 
of  her  beak.  After  the  struggle  had  gone  on  for  about 
five  minutes  the  fish  chanced  to  fall  across  a  low  branch 
of  greasewood.  She  grasped  the  slimy  thing  and  tossed 
it  into  the  air,  intending  to  start  it  head  downward  into 
her  gullet.  But  it  dropped  into  her  open  mandibles  cross- 
wise. Again  it  was  flung  and  again  caught,  but  it  landed 
tail  first !  This  did  not  suit  her  so  she  heaved  him  again 
as  hig'h  as  her  strength  permitted  —  and  Mr.  Carp  fell 
crosswise  into  his  harbor  again.  She  did  her  best  to  swal- 
low him  double,  but  her  capacity  failed  her.  Once  more 
the  torn  and  tattered  carp  went  into  the  air  —  for  by  this 
time  that  fish  was  beginning  to  look  much  battered  —  and 
again  it  landed  tail  downward !  Poor  Mrs.  Pelican,  tail 
first  or  head  first,  how  glad  she  seemed  to  be  when  that 
fish  was  safe  at  its  last  mooring!  She  looked  about  her, 
seemingly  in  wonderment,  then  fled  unceremoniously  into 
the  air  from  a  standing  start.  She  made  for  the  open  sea, 
where  I  am  sure  she  related  the  episode  to  all  willing 
listeners." 

The  naturalist  also  tells  us  in  this  interesting  story  of 
the  daily  parade  of  the  chicks  to  the  water  for  their  bath, 
of  the  habit  of  the  older  birds  to  climb  to  the  highest 
ridges  and  there  make  their  toilets  and  take  observations 
of  their  surroundings,  of  their  fishing  habits,  and  of  the 
indifference  of  the  old  birds  to  their  young  except  at  feed- 
ing time. 


258       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

But  in  this  wonderful  rookery  of  that  island  there 
are  other  birds  besides  the  pelican.  The  sea  giill  has 
long  made  it  his  habitat,  and  here  he  is  found  in  vast 
quantities,  together  with  the  beautiful  blue  heron.  A 
hundred  pages  would  not  suffice  to  reproduce  Dr.  Plum- 
mer's  interesting  observations  on  these  various  birds; 
how  that  the  gull  is  a  great  scavenger  and  also  a  lawless 
devourer  of  the  baby  chicks  of  the  cormorant,  while  the 
herons  and  pelicans  are  game-hunters  and  scorn  any  such 
cannibalistic  dietary.  The  gulls  are  from  the  Pacific, 
where  they  have  their  winter  home  and  they  come  to  Salt 
Lake  for  their  summer  experiences.  How  did  they  find 
this  location?  What  wonderful  instinct  sent  them  so  far 
inland?  The  blue  heron,  the  stately  and  dignified  wader 
in  our  western  waters,  who  even  separates  from  his  mate, 
and  each  goes  his,  her,  own  way,  when  they  start  out  on 
a  fishing  expedition,  is   found  here  in  great  numbers. 

There  are  some  observers  who  say  that  fully  a  quarter 
of  a  million  of  the  wild  snow-geese  may  often  be  found 
in  and  near  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  and  the  most  conserv- 
ative estimates  place  the  numbers  into  the  tens  of  thou- 
sands. They  and  all  other  species  of  goose  (among 
which  are  found  the  cackling,  the  Canada  goose,  and  black 
brant),  are  greedy  grazers  of  the  green  grasses  that 
abound  in  these  swamps.  When  the  grass  is  green  and 
tender  it  is  excellent  food  and  they  fatten  on  it,  but  in 
winter  there  is  a  different  tale  to  tell.  Dr.  Plummer  was 
tramping  out  in  this  region  when  he  found  a  number  of 
dead  wild  snow-geese  that  evidently  had  not  been  shot. 
He  inspected  the  crop  and  gullet  of  each  one  and  found 
them  full  of  dead  salt-grass.  This  was  frost-bitten  and 
dry  as  hay  and  therefore  undigestible  by  these  poor  birds, 
for  they  have  no  teeth  to  chew  such  substances. 

But,  the  intelligent  reader  may  ask:  Do  not  the  geese 
go  south  in  winter,  where  there  is  suitable  food  in  abund- 
ance?   As  a  rule  they  do,  but  conditions  exist  in  the  Salt 


Bird  Life  in  Utah 259 

Lake  Valley  and  marsh  country  which  deceive,  mislead 
them,  even,  as  we  have  seen,  to  their  death.  Many  of 
the  swamps  here  are  fed  by  warm  alkali  waters  from 
the  various  hot  springs  so  that  they  rarely  freeze  over. 
Many  open  places  remain  all  winter  and  in  them  ducks, 
geese,  coots  and  grebes  find  plenty  of  food  for  the  cold 
months.  Sometimes  soft  snow  falls  to  considerable 
depth  and  fills  such  open  areas  of  water  with  thick  slush 
and  the  wild  folks'  food  is  covered  up.  All  available 
green  growth  is  away  down  under  this  blanket  and  it 
remains  there  until  the  warming  influences  of  the  sun 
melt  the  cold  cover.  Led  by  their  instincts  to  remain  by 
water,  which,  in  the  cold  months,  is  their  only  salvation, 
they  stand  around  the  slush  filled  water-holes  or  fly  from 
one  point  to  another  seeking  food  until  they  are  so  weak- 
ened by  their  efforts  that  they  are  unable  to  undertake  a 
long  migratory  flight. 

Hence  one  of  the  needs  for  wild-game  sanctuaries. 
Here  intelligent  game-wardens  can  observe  these  condi- 
tions and  provide  against  them,  and  thus  save  the  life  of 
the  otherwise  doomed  birds.  It  is  gratifying  to  know 
that  upland  wild  life  sanctuaries  are  rapidly  multiplying  in 
Utah.  Extensive  areas  are  being  designated  as  bird 
sanctuaries,  many  private  owners  being  in  no  way  averse 
to  the  movement  for  the  protection  of  wild  life.  The 
Utah  laws  authorize  the  state  fish  and  game  department 
to  set  aside  areas  of  land  for  this  purpose.  Movements 
also  are  on  foot  for  creating  large  sanctuaries  for  the 
waterfowl  at  the  mouths  of  rivers  that  empty  into  the 
Great  Salt  Lake. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

A  WESTERN  PHYSICIAN-NATURALIST 

Among  the  chief  joys  of  my  richly  joyful  life  I  count 
my  personal  associations  with  such  great  naturalists  as 
Joseph  LeConte,  John  Burroughs,  Ernest  Thompson 
Seton,  John  Muir,  Charles  Keeler,  Olive  Thome  Miller 
and  others  of  the  "  Gilbert  White  of  Selbourne  "  type. 
There  are  few  enough  of  these  men  and  women  who 
really  attain,  not  so  much  eminence,  as  who  deserve  emi- 
nence, by  the  thoroughness  and  completeness  of  their 
studies.  Such  a  one  it  was  my  delight  and  profit  to  find 
in  Salt  Lake  City  in  Dr.  Charles  G.  Plummer.  As  the 
thrill  of  delight  to  the  discoverer  of  a  new  orchid,  the 
artist  of  a  new  type  of  landscape,  the  musician  of  a  new 
theme,  so  came  the  joy  and  pleasure  as  I  met  Dr.  Plum- 
mer, grasped  his  hand,  and  gazed  into  his  eyes,  for 
Nature,  God's  great  out-of-doors,  the  desert,  the  swamp, 
the  island,  the  lake,  the  mountains,  the  forest,  the  can- 
yon, the  loving  study  of  beasts  and  birds,  fishes,  reptiles, 
men  and  God,  have  stamped  their  impress  upon  his  outer 
man.  He,  surely,  has  taken  on  more  of  the  image  and 
likeness  of  God  in  his  fine  face,  noble  brow,  expressive 
and  tender  eyes,  mobile  mouth,  firm  and  resolute  chin, 
as  also  in  the  vibrant,  yet  gentle,  fatherly  voice,  than  have 
most  men.  He  is  a  wonderful  compound  of  John  Bur- 
roughs and  John  Muir.  In  the  wideness  and  extent  of 
his  researches,  in  his  love  of  solitude  and  trustfulness  in 
Nature's  goodness  and  kindness  wherever  he  may  be  — 
on  snow-clad  mountain  summits  companioning  the  stars; 

260 


A  Western  Physician-Naturalist        2Gi 

in  deep  canyon  abyss  wrapped  around  in  profound  silence ; 
on  trackless  desert  where  the  solitude  is  a  physical  pres- 
ence to  be  felt ;  in  dense  forests  where  shadows  live,  move 
and  have  their  being;  in  marshy  recesses  where  none  but 
wildfowl  live;  on  secluded  island  where  pelicans,  gulls 
and  herons  mate,  nest  and  breed  —  in  these  things  he  is 
akin  to  John  Muir,  that  lover  of  High  Sierran  solitudes. 
Yet  in  his  quiet  and  tender  devotion  to  the  smaller  things 
of  life  —  flowers,  insects,  birds  and  trees  —  close  at  hand, 
he  is  another  John  Burroughs.  Whatever  he  does  he  does 
thoroughly,  hence  he  is  a  pure  scientist,  beset  on  know- 
ing, if  conscientious  observations  will  give  knowledge  to 
him,  but  saturated  with  the  love  that  comes  from  a  true 
realization  of  God's  creative  fatherhood  over  all  living 
things  —  or  what  Howard  Moore  so  truthfully  designated 
"  The  Universal  Kinship." 

An  added  virtue  in  Dr.  Plummer's  life  is  that  he  has 
preserved  his  boyhood  intact  along  with  his  strides  into 
manhood's  experiences  and  years,  and  he  has  allied  himself 
to  the  great  Boy  Scout  Movement.  He  is  the  beloved 
and  revered  mentor  of  the  boys  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  for 
many  miles  beyond  on  their  hikes,  rambles,  outings  and 
camp-fires.  It  was  my  good  fortune  to  be  privileged  to 
accompany  Dr.  Plummer  —  under  the  leadership  of  Scout 
Executive  Hammond  —  with  about  two  hundred  Boy 
Scouts  of  Salt  Lake  City  and  vicinity,  in  automobiles,  on 
an  eight  hundred  mile  trip  through  southern  Utah,  taking 
in  all  the  principal  cities  and  towns,  visiting  wonderful 
Bryce  Canyon,  Zion  National  Park,  and  going  down 
almost  to  the  Arizona  line  to  the  interesting  Mormon  city 
of  St.  George.  It  was  a  wonderful  and  memorable  trip, 
but  one  of  its  principal  charms  was  the  opportunity  it 
gave  of  observing  Dr.  Plummer's  relationship  with  the 
boys.  He  was  one  with  them  in  their  every  mood  and 
act.  Not  that  he  always  approved  of  what  they  did.  On 
the  contrary  he  "  hauled  them  over  the  coals  "  with  ear- 


21)2       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

nestness  and  vigor,  every  once  in  a  while,  but  it  was  done 
in  such  a  straightforward  way  that  all  seemed  to  profit 
and  no  one  be  "  huffed  "  by  it.  Every  morning,  after 
assembly  prayer,  and  salute  to  the  flag  had  been  given,  a 
run  was  ordered  by  the  scout  master,  and  Dr.  Plummer 
led  off.  At  a  dogtrot  eight,  ten,  or  a  dozen  blocks  were 
taken,  the  scouts  following  in  line.  Needless  to  say,  they 
all  came  back  hungry  as  wolves  for  breakfast.  Daily  the 
doctor  gave  a  lecture  to  the  boys  on  the  birds,  geology, 
the  natural  laws  of  conservation,  etc.,  (two  others  of  us 
did  the  same),  and  he  was  ever  ready  to  answer  the  thou- 
sand and  one  questions  they  brought  to  him.  So  beloved 
is  he  that  all  the  scouts  call  him  "  Daddy  Plummer,"  and 
on  one  memorable  camping-trip  in  the  Wasatch  Moun- 
tains they  crowned  him  "  King  of  the  Wasatch." 

One  can  well  imagine  the  influence  such  a  man  —  a 
pure  scientist,  one  of  the  leading  physicians  of  Salt  Lake 
City,  a  naturalist  of  the  first  order,  a  careful  student, 
observer  and  lover  of  all  Nature  —  has  upon  the  boys. 

He  is  the  Muir  type  of  naturalist,  in  that  he  believes 
Nature  knew  her  own  mind  in  all  her  creations.  Nothing 
exists  without  divine  purpose.  We  may  not  be  able  to 
discern  it,  but  that  is  our  misfortune  or  our  fault,  as  we 
seek  to  know,  or  deliberately  refuse  to  learn.  Hence  he 
is  constantly  urging  upon  adults,  as  well  as  youth,  a  more 
thorough  and  deep  study  of  the  esoteric  meanings  of 
nature.  While  we  were  in  Zion  National  Park  a  fine 
illustration  was  given  of  his  method  of  teaching  the  boys 
this  deeper  knowledge  of  divine  law  —  for  it  is  almost 
needless  to  say,  he  sees  manifestations  of  the  supreme 
mind  and  love  in  all  things.  One  of  the  boys  found  a 
rattlesnake.  Some  wanted  to  kill  it.  Others,  knowing 
Dr.  Plummer's  ideas,  prevented  that  and  called  the  doc- 
tor's attention  to  it.  Picking  the  snake  up,  he  brought  it 
to  me,  knowing  that  I  had  made  a  special  study  of  the 
rattler's  anatomy,  and  for  a  half  an  hour  or  more   I 


A  Western  Physician-Naturalist         2G3 

answered  the  boys'  questions  about  fangs,  poison  glands, 
how  the  snake  made  his  bite  and  ejected  the  poison,  etc. 
Then  Dr.  Pkimmer  gave  a  brief  talk  in  which  he  clearly 
and  positively  stated  his  belief  that  the  Creator  must  have 
had  some  reason  or  purpose  for  placing  the  rattlesnake 
upon  the  earth,  and,  therefore,  while  he  freely  confessed 
he  did  not  know  that  purpose,  he  saw  no  more  reason  to 
kill  a  rattler  when  it  was  out  in  the  wilds  than  he  did  to 
kill  any  other  creature.  So,  striding  away  to  the  foot  of 
the  cliffs  half  a  mile  away,  he  deposited  the  uninjured  rep- 
tile, doubtless  astonished  at  its  remarkable  and  harmless 
adventure. 

No  sooner  had  Dr.  Plummer  returned  from  this  trip 
than  he  prepared  for  another,  in  which  he  took  a  large 
group  of  Boy  Scouts  through  the  Yellowstone  Park. 
Think  of  the  priceless  advantages  such  leadership  gave  to 
the  boys  of  the  party.  For  he  is  no  mere  dilettante  in 
"  camping  out  "  and  roughing  it.  It  is  his  regular  food. 
In  a  book  of  his,  just  published,*  I  find  several  passages 
which  graphically  describe  his  aims  and  methods.  These 
are  well  worth  quoting  Here : 

"  The  way  took  me  straight  into  the  rich,  red-golden 
sunset  of  an  Indian  summer  day.  Between  me  and  the 
snow-capped  skyline  of  the  mountains  lay  miles  of  open 
desert  leading  up  to  the  foothills  all  bathed  just  then  by  a 
gently-moving  sea  of  deep  violet-tinted  atmosphere.  In 
places  where  the  hog-backs  rose  high  and  ridge-like,  the 
golden  brush  swept  them  with  a  delicate  touch  from  end 
to  end,  leaving  them  softly  illumined  amid  the  darker  sur- 
rounding coloration. 

"  In  the  draws  that  were  garbed  on  their  northern 
slopes  with  firs,  balsams,  quaking-aspens  and  other  timber 
the  shadows  were  so  deep  that  I  could  scarcely  discern 
their  general  contour.     The  deeper  canyons  and  gorges 

*Gun-Grabbing  Johnny.     By  C.  G.  Plummer,  M.  D.,  The  Radiant  Life  Press,  Pasa- 
dena, Calif. 


204       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

gashing  the  mornuig  face  of  this  range  were  no  longer 
visible.  I  knew  the  snow  lay  in  them  and  that  up  toward 
their  heads  small  areas  of  new  ice  coated  the  surfaces  of 
the  streams  here  and  there  with  fairy-like  roofs  prepara- 
tory for  the  coming  winter. 

"  I  had  been  in  the  hushed  seclusion  of  these  peaks  and 
ridges  a  week  or  so  before  and  I  knew  just  how  every- 
thing looked  with  a  clear  white  mantle  draping  each 
feature  so  naturally,  I  had  tramped  over  those  rocky 
slants  during  the  winter  season  as  well,  and  now,  as  I 
faced  that  way  and  caught  the  freshening  fragrance  of 
the  desert  borne  to  me  by  cool  evening  breezes,  unwit- 
tingly I  increased  my  pace  and  pressed  eagerly  forward. 

"  Those  desert  regions  had  given  me  untold  delight  as 
I  rambled  over  them  each  month  of  the  year.  To  me 
they  were  not  waste  places  for  I  had  found  something  of 
value  in  every  nook  and  cranny  I  explored.  It  might  have 
been  simply  the  character  of  the  material  composing  the 
soil,  or  the  here-and-there  patch  of  verdure  of  one  species 
or  another  that  attracted  me. 

"  Rarely  did  I  have  any  specific  locality  in  view  w^hen  I 
made  such  tramps,  —  that  is,  no  special  place  to  which 
I  wished  to  go  in  a  certain  elapsed  time  —  rather  was  I 
bent  upon  an  exploration  of  the  hidden  spots  that  are 
often  of  such  inestimable  value  to  me  and  which  give  such 
great  pleasure  when  I  come  upon  them  suddenly. 

"  Seemingly  an  aimless  wanderer  slowly  going  from 
one  bunch  of  greasewood  to  another;  to  this  growth  of 
sage-brush  or  that  bit  of  rabbit-brush,  or  to  a  scraggly 
bunch  of  shad-scale  with  its  fish-scale  leaves  so  promi- 
nently put  forth,  —  always  I  found  something  to  lure  me 
on  with  an  impelling  urge. 

"  Almost  every  stand  of  bunch  grass  or  other  growth 
into  which  I  peered,  all  eyes  and  ears,  revealed  or  whis- 
pered to  me  some  secret!  In  one  lush  bit  of  grass  was 
carefully  concealed  the  domed  home  of  a  field  mouse  and 


A  Western  Physician-Naturalist         2G5 

four  tiny  occupants  were  left  to  keep  house  while  mother 
and  father  scoured  the  sandy  soil  for  food. 

"  Only  a  few  days  old  were  they,  yet  I  am  sure  that 
these  little  fellows  realized  that  I  was  a  friend  —  not  on 
killing  bent !  —  and  they  suffered  me  to  handle  them  as  I 
would.  Eyes  that  had  not  yet  looked  out  upon  this  world 
were  tightly  sealed  beneath  closed  lids  in  obedience  to 
the  Law  of  Nature.  Tiny  mouths  —  as  yet  used  for 
nothing  but  to  suckle  the  mother's  breast  —  showed  that 
the  quickly  growing  germs  of  teeth  would  soon  be  in  evi- 
dence and  ready  for  maturing  as  soon  as  age  gave  them 
the  opportunity. 

"  Why  did  I  not  crush  the  life  out  of  these  helpless 
creatures,  so-called  farmer's  pests?  I  have  but  one 
answer  to  such  inquiries,  and  that  is  that  they  are  God's 
creatures,  products  of  the  same  thought-effort  as  that 
which  imaged  the  bird,  the  flower,  or  the  man  —  and  they 
have  the  same  right  to  thoughtful  consideration  as  any  of 
these  others! 

"  True,  at  some  future  time  they  become  the  prey  of 
birds,  mammals  or  reptiles,  as  it  was  designated  they 
should  be,  or  else  they  live  on  to  a  ripe  old  age  of  useful- 
ness in  their  plane  of  existence.  Such  seems  to  be  the 
demand  of  Nature  and  I  have  no  right  to  interfere  with 
its  functioning." 

Elsewhere  he  writes : 

"  Bird  tracks  in  the  sand,  animal  foot-prints  here  and 
there  are  tell-tale  evidences  of  the  coming  and  going  of 
God's  creatures,  each  solving  his  own  problems  according 
to  his  wisdom  and  unconsciously  furnishing  splendid 
premises  upon  which  to  base  his  pursuit  and  possible  cap- 
ture by  enemies  about  which  he  cared  little  so  long  as  he 
was  able  to  secure  his  food  and  visit  with  his  kind  as  his 
ancestors  had  done  before  him." 

In  this  same  volume  he  gives  an  ideal  but  essentially 
practical  method  of  a  genius  in  the  study  of  Nature.    He 


200       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

draws  a  fascinating  picture  of  a  woman  teacher  and  her 
methods : 

"  She  loved  the  fields  and  the  woods,  the  mountains, 
meadows  and  the  babbhng  brooks  and  all  of  the  big  and 
little  dwellers  that  in  them  homed  in  natural  peace  and 
comfort.  She  was  on  intimate  terms  with  the  weeds  and 
trees,  the  grasses  and  the  flowers,  even  of  the  fish  that 
swam  the  turbulent  mountain  stream  rumbling  past  her 
school-room  door. 

"  The  birds  which  sang  from  the  lone  places  of  the 
desert  or  from  the  branches  of  the  trees  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  her  place  of  service,  gave  themselves  freely  and 
apparently  to  herself  alone.  Nothing  in  all  creation  was 
too  insignificant  for  her  most  loving  consideration. 

"  This  life-long  contact  with  the  wild  folk  —  not  wild 
to  her  by  any  means  !  —  had  established  a  state  of  recipro- 
cation rarely  observed  in  human  beings.  Of  whatever  she 
was  possessed  she  gave  abundantly,  whether  to  the  small 
boy  with  the  stubbed  toe,  to  the  sweet  singing  bird  near 
her,  or  to  the  down-hearted  girl,  and  always  she  was 
rewarded  in  proportion  to  that  which  she  expended. 

"...  She  instilled  into  the  eager  receptive  minds 
of  her  girls  and  boys  the  natural  laws  of  the  universe. 
She  led  them  by  the  invisible  linked-leash  of  tolerance, 
understanding,  sympathy  and  love.  Each  one  was  directed 
how  to  be  himself  all  the  time." 

Dr.  Plummer  then  gives  examples  —  which  he  himself 
saw,  for  he  claims  his  model  teacher  is  a  reality  —  of  how 
this  woman  conducted  her  classes  in  school  and  outside. 
She  taught  and  led  by  suggestion  and  the  discipline  of 
the  powers  of  observation.  In  this  regard  Dr.  Plummer's 
presentation  is  not  second  to  that  which  Professor  Lane 
Cooper  gives  of  the  great  Agassiz,  whose  three  princi- 
ples of  education  might  be  said  to  have  been,  (i)  obser- 
vation, (2)  more  observation,  (3)  continued  observation. 


A  Western  Physician-Naturalist        2G7 

And  she  evidently  had  taken  for  her  motto,  consciously 
or  unconsciously,  the  words  of  Liberty  H.  Bailey : 

"If  one  is  to  be  happy  he  must  live  in  sympathy  with 
common  things.  He  must  live  in  harmony  with  his  envi- 
ronment. He  cannot  be  happy  yonder  nor  tomorrow ;  he 
is  happy  here  and  now  or  never.  Our  stock  of  knowledge 
of  common  things  should  be  great.  Few  of  us  can  travel. 
We  must  know  the  things  at  home." 

In  the  chapter  on  the  "  Birds  of  Utah,"  I  have  referred 
to  Dr.  Plummer's  exhaustive  studies  of  wild  fowl  on  Hat 
Island.  He  has  written  a  most  fascinating  book  upon  the 
subject  which  it  is  hoped  will  shortly  be  published. 

He  is  also  a  poet.  His  lines  on  the  well-known  and 
famous  "  Sea  Gull  Monument,"  as  well  as  a  poem  on 
"  The  Boastful  Daffodil  "  are  well  worthy  of  preservation. 

TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  THE  SEA-GULLS 

DEDICATED  TO  MAHONRI  M.  YOUNG. 
SCULPTOR 

"  O  bird  of  snow-white  plume  and  graceful  poise,  thou 

art 
Immortalized  in  gilded,  everlasting  bronze ! 
On  spreading  pinions,  held  aloft  by  globe  and  shaft 
Of  stone,  o'er  pedestal  of  granite  ages  old. 
Thy  service  told  in  tablets  is  a  tale  of  life. 
Thou  cam'st  a  seeming  messenger  of  God,  to  save 
From  famine,  dire,  men,  women,  little  children,  too, 
Who  journeyed  far  to  make  their  home  in  deserts  wild. 
As  long  as  time  endures,  thy  praises  will  be  sung ! 
Thy  form  in  sculptured  bronze  shall  always  rev'renced 

be. 
And  pioneers  will  tell  to  those  who  follow  them, 
That  God  was  good,  —  He  sent  thee  from  the  unknown 

waste." 


2GS       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

THE  BOASTFUL  DAFFODIL 

"  Once  a  daffodil  so  proud 
Shook  his  head  and  laughed  so  loud, 
That  a  violet  near  by 
Was  afraid,  she  was  so  shy. 

"  For  the  daffodil  had  said, 
As  he  tossed  his  yellow  head, 
'  God's  great  sun  of  yellow  gold 
Paints  for  me  my  color  bold. 
With  the  great  transcendent  light 
I,  alone,  am  thus  made  bright. 
Spring's  warm  zephyrs  do  not  blow 
On  the  humble  and  the  low.' 

"  But  the  violet  so  shy 
Oft  had  looked  upon  the  sky! 
And  she  humbly  raised  her  head 
From  its  dainty  purple  bed; 
Looked  again  upon  the  sky, 
Saw  God's  face  —  ne'er  wondered  why 
She  was  scorned  in  life's  keen  race. 
When  she  saw  Him  face  to  face. 


"  Still  she  sheds  her  odors  sweet, 
Blooming  at  the  Master's  feet." 


CHAPTER  XIX 
Utah's  influence  upon  literature 

This  chapter  makes  no  pretense  to  completeness.  It  is 
merely  designed  to  give  to  the  general' reader  a  glimpse 
into  what,  to  most  people,  is  an  unknown  field.  While 
I  was  in  Salt  Lake  City,  writing  a  part  of  this  book,  the 
historian  of  the  Mormon  Church  freely  opened  their  large 
library,  both  of  books,  manuscripts  and  letters,  to  me, 
and  gave  me  unrestricted  use  of  them  for  several  weeks. 
One  whole  section  was  devoted  to  Anti-Mormon  Works, 
scores,  hundreds  of  them ;  another  section  was  devoted  to 
generally  favorable  literature,  while  the  rest  was  given  up 
to  the  works  of  their  own  people.  It  was  the  first  time 
in  my  not  small  or  limited  experience  that  I  was  given 
access  to  everything  that  could  be  found  against  the  faith 
and  people  of  those  about  whom  I  was  writing,  and  I 
believe  this  attitude  of  frankness  fairly  represents  the 
position  taken  by  all  intelligent  Mormons  of  today  in 
regard  to  their  faith  and  mode  of  life. 

The  polemic  part  of  this  literature  I  am  not  particularly 
interested  in,  though  I  carefully  read  everything  I  could 
find  that  came  from  the  pen  of  Joseph  Smith,  the  Mormon 
Prophet.  But  there  were  many  other  books  that  are 
entitled  to  be  called  literature,  full  of  delightful  and 
charming  descriptions,  that  should  be  better  known. 

Foremost  among  these  are  such  books  as  Stansbury's 
Exploration  and  Survey  of  the  Volley  of  the  Great  Salt 
Lake  of  Utah  in  184^.  This  was  printed  by  order  of 
Congress  and  issued  in   1853.     It  is  illustrated  with  a 

269 


270      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

number  of  toned  lithographs,  neither  very  artistic  nor 
accurate,  still  useful  as  giving  an  idea  of  the  conditions  at 
that  early  date.  It  contains  nine  chapters,  the  first  four  of 
which  are  devoted  to  the  journey  from  Fort  Leavenworth 
to  Salt  Lake  City.  As  the  expedition  was  joined  by  a 
band  of  emigrants  going  to  California,  and  they  traveled 
with  the  surveyors  as  far  as  Salt  Lake  City,  these  chap- 
ters are  enlivened  with  incidents  that  otherwise  might  not 
have  occurred.  Chapter  V  is  devoted  to  a  reconnaissance 
to  Fort  Hall  and  return,  and  Chapter  VI  to  the  western 
shores  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  Then,  as  winter  came,  and 
further  survey  work  was  impossible,  the  party  spent  the 
winter  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  Chapter  VII  is  devoted  to 
a  brief  history  of  Mormonism  and  a  relation  of  the 
writer's  impressions  of  the  Mormons  themselves.  This 
is  both  interesting  and  instructive,  as  Stansbury  and  his 
party  were  kindly  disposed  to  those  who  had  treated  them 
with  consideration  and  respect. 

The  most  important  chapter  of  the  book  is  Chapter 
VIII  which  gives  the  report  of  the  complete  survey  of  the 
lake;  while  later  surveys  have  made  a  few  slight  correc- 
tions and  additions,  this  is  practically  the  basis  of  our 
knowledge  of  the  lake  and  is  still  quoted  as  the  chief  and 
prime  authority.  Chapter  IX  relates  the  story  of  the 
return  of  the  expedition  to  Fort  Leavenworth  with  rail- 
road and  other  suggestions. 

In  1859,  Captain  J.  H.  Simpson,  under  the  authority 
of  the  Secretary  of  War,  made  an  exploration,  and  this 
was  published  in  1876,  as  a  government  document.  It  is 
entitled  Report  of  Explorations  Across  the  Great  Basin 
of  the  Territory  of  Utah  for  a  Direct  Wagon  Route  from 
Camp  Floyd  to  Genoa,  in  Carson  Valley. 

Camp  Floyd  was  afterwards  changed  to  Fort  Critten- 
den, and  was  located  in  Cedar  Valley,  in  what  is  now 
Utah  county.  Simpson  was  an  expert  explorer  and  had 
done  work  of  this  kind  before  for  the  government,  hence 


Utah's  Influence  Upon  Literature      271 

his  report  is  an  elaborate  quarto  of  nearly  500  pages.  He 
gives  an  historical  introduction  which  tells,  with  fair 
accuracy  and  fullness,  of  the  several  prior  explorations, 
beginning  with  that  of  Padre  Escalante,  the  Franciscan 
Friar,  who  desired  to  find  a  way  from  Santa  Fe  to  the 
new  missions  in  California.  He  succeeded,  however,  in 
reaching  no  further  than  Oraibi,  one  of  the  Hopi  villages. 

He  then  discusses  the  claim  made  that  Jim  Bridger, 
the  pioneer  trapper,  was  the  discoverer  of  the  Great  Salt 
Lake.  The  discussion  is  interesting  though  it  is  difficult 
to  decide  when  the  evidence  is  neither  complete  nor  con- 
vincing. While  there  are  many  pages  of  dry  scientific 
data,  the  reader  who  loves  to  browse  will  find  many  fas- 
cinating lines  and  pages  in  Simpson's  volume. 

In  the  same  year,  1859,  Major  Macomb  of  the  Topo- 
graphical Engineers,  accompanied  by  Dr.  J.  S.  Newberry, 
the  geologist,  made  a  Report  of  the  Exploring  Expedition 
from  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  to  the  Junction  of  the  Green 
and  Grand  Rivers  of  the  Great  Colorado  of  the  West, 
which  was  issued  by  the  government  in  1876.  I  have 
quoted  in  one  or  two  places  from  this  volume,  and  it 
being  one  of  the  first  accounts  of  careful  explorations  in 
the  wonderful  region  of  south-eastern  Utah  it  is  entitled 
to  a  careful  perusal. 

In  both  the  Wheeler  and  Hayden  geological  surveys 
Utah  has  no  inconspicuous  place  and  to  the  geologist  these 
early  volumes  are  priceless.  But  it  was  not  until  Major 
J.  W.  Powell  was  made  the  head  of  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey  that  Utah  came  into  its  own,  as  far  as 
scientific  study  was  concerned. 

In  quick  succession  four  important  monographs  were 
issued.  The  first  of  these  was  by  Powell  himself,  entitled. 
The  Geology  of  the  Uinta  Mountains,  in  which  he  showed 
that  the  formations  of  the  region  have  an  aggregate  thick- 
ness of  50,000  feet,  and  that  they  marvellously  illustrate, 
on  a  grand  scale,  facts  of  displacement,  degradation  and 


272       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

sedimentation.  No  romance  is  more  startling  than  the 
facts  of  geolog}^  he  here  discovered  and  to  the  superior 
reader  and  student,  even  though  he  be  not  a  technical 
geologist,  these  pages  are  full  of  fascination. 

Equally  attractive,  though  in  an  entirely  different  way, 
is  Grove  Karl  Gilbert's  Report  on  the  Geology  of  the 
Henry  Mountains.  Here  we  are  treated  to  a  study  and 
explanation  of  the  peculiar  volcanic  intrusions,  which  Gil- 
bert terms  "  laccolites,"  and  which  are  found  not  only 
here  but  across  the  Grand  Canyon  as  far  south  as  the 
region  near  Laguna,  New  Mexico. 

Next  came,  in  1879,  Powell's  Lands  of  the  Arid  Region, 
already  quoted  from  and  referred  to  in  the  chapter  on 
irrigation. 

Then,  in  1880,  was  published  Button's  Geology  of  the 
High  Plateaus  of  Utah.  This  latter  is  a  comprehensive 
work  and  full  of  Button's  prose-poems  of  description. 
No  intelligent  student  of  the  geological  history  of  Utah 
but  will  be  delighted  beyond  measure  with  this  volume. 

In  the  chapters  entitled  "  Glimpses  of  the  Land," 
"  Geology,"  and  "  Zion  National  Park ''  are  extensive 
quotations  from  the  pen  of  Button.  These  are  taken 
from  scientific  monographs  as  the  one  here  named  and  yet, 
few  writers  of  descriptive  power,  recognized  as  among 
the  masters  of  literature,  have  given  to  the  world  such 
exquisite  and  perfect  pen  pictures  as  he.  Button  was  a 
captain  of  artillery,  with  a  strong  geological  bent  of  mind, 
and  Powell,  with  that  keen  judgment  of  his  as  to  the 
capacities  of  men  seized  him,  made  a  friend  of  him,  and 
sent  him  to  study  the  rock  formations  that  had  so  dazzled 
and  delighted  him  in  his  studies  of  Utah. 

Neither  man  knew  exactly  what  the  results  of  their 
work,  and  that  of  their  compeers,  were  to  be.  Powell  had 
already  made  his  memorable  trip  down  the  Canyons  of  the 
Colorado,  and  had  published  the  report  of  it.  Button  was 
now  persuaded  to  make  a  thorough  study  of  the  Canyon 


Utah's  Influence  Upon  Literature       273 

Country,  and  soon  there  came  from  his  pen  that  graphic 
scientific  monograph  :  The  Physical  Geology  of  the  Grand 
Canyon  District,  which  appeared  in  the  Second  Annual 
Report  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  later  fol- 
lowed by  the  fascinating  volume :  The  Tertiary  History  of 
the  Grand  Canyon  District;  with  accounts  of  Mount  Tay- 
lor and  the  Zuni  Plateau,  Hawaiian  Volcanoes,  etc. 

Some  years  later  Powell  himself  wrote  his  masterpiece 
of  description :  The  Canyons  of  the  Colorado,  which 
deals  largely  with  Utah,  but  the  work  was  published  as  a 
subscription  book,  in  a  limited  edition,  and  few  copies  are 
now  to  be  found.  It  is  my  hope  that  some  day  this  most 
attractive  work  may  be  republished  at  a  price  that  will 
enable  the  many  to  purchase  it. 

Naturally,  the  Great  Salt  Lake  has  greatly  attracted 
students  of  geology,  and  G.  K.  Gilbert  has  given  to  us  an 
exhaustive  quarto  volume  entitled :  Lake  Bonneville,  this 
being  the  first  of  the  separate  monographs  of  the  United 
States  Geological  Survey.  It  was  issued  in  1890  and  is 
now  quite  scarce.  Lake  Bonneville  is  the  name  given  by 
the  scientists  to  the  prehistoric  lake,  of  which  Salt  Lake 
is  but  the  small  remnant,  and  the  various  shore-lines  of 
which  are  to  be  seen  on  the  foothills  of  the  Oquirrh  and 
Wasatch  ranges. 

Several  other  scientific  monographs  and  books  have 
been  published  on  Utah,  several  of  which  are  elsewhere 
quoted  from  in  these  pages. 

Two  of  the  most  noted  books,  written  by  disinterested 
travelers,  who  were  attracted  to  Utah  by  the  reports  of 
the  peculiar  tenets  of  Mormons  are  A  Journey  to  Great 
Salt  Lake  City,  by  Jules  Remy  and  Julius  Brenchley,  pub- 
lished by  W.  Jeffs,  London,  in  1861,  and  The  City  of  the 
Saints,  by  Robert  F.  Burton,  published  by  Harper  and 
Brothers,  New  York,  in  1862. 

The  former  of  these  is  a  pretentious  work,  finely 
printed  in  large  type,  illustrated,  and  in  two  volumes.    Its 


274       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

chief  author,  Reniy,  was  a  cultured  Frenchman,  who,  with 
his  companion,  came  from  Cahfornia  to  Utah.  He  writes 
with  philosophical  candor,  and  without  any  of  the  vindic- 
tive prejudice  so  often  found,  giving  his  views  of  Mor- 
monism  and  its  leaders  in  a  calm  and  dispassionate  man- 
ner, criticising  without  venom,  and  praising  without  fear. 

Equally  free  from  prejudice  is  Burton's  far  more  elab- 
orate and  exhaustive  work,  though  it  is  crowded  into  one 
volume.  But,  though  the  type  is  large  and  clear,  its  pages 
are  large,  and  there  are  nearly  600  of  them.  He  writes, 
however,  with  a  freedom  and  power  possible  only  to  a 
man  of  clear  thought,  strong  opinions  and  simplicity  of 
expression,  and  as  one  reads,  he  feels  that  here  are  knowl- 
edge, sympathy  and  understanding  as  well  as  criticism 
and  censure. 

For  sane,  calm,  unbiased  accounts  and  judgments  these 
two  books  can  well  be  read  and  enjoyed. 

In  1866  there  was  printed  and  published  in  San  Fran- 
cisco a  slender  volume,  daintily  gotten  up,  with  nothing 
but  the  one  word  Poems  on  the  cover.  Inside,  the  title 
page  revealed  that  the  authoress  was  Sarah  E.  Carmichael, 
and  the  introduction  that  the  volume  was  issued  by 
friends.  These  in  reality  were  the  officers  of  Fort  Doug- 
las, and  in  it  they  thus  express  themselves : 

"  It  will  hardly  be  deemed  a  matter  of  local  prejudice 
merely,  that  this  friendly  alliance  dotes  upon  the  fact  that 
so  gifted  a  child  of  song  has  been  vouchsafed  to  the 
remote  and  obscure  region  of  country  known  as  the 
Valley  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  It  is  indeed  regarded  by 
them  as  worthy  of  more  than  ordinary  note,  that  in  such  a 
secluded  spot  —  shut  out  from  the  world  at  large  by  the 
frowning  barriers  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  without  the 
advantages  of  books  and  intellectual  training;  without  the 
soul-expanding  influences  of  a  cultivated  and  liberal  public 
sentiment;  away  from  the  softer  elements  of  natural 
beauty,  and  having  nothing  but  her  own  heart  to  commune 


Utah's  Influence  Upon  Literature       275 

with  —  her  songs  have  taken  so  wide  and  glorious  a 
flight;  ever  loyal  to  truth  and  humanity,  ever  sweet  and 
melodious  as  the  voice  of  nature." 

It  is  a  great  regret  that  I  cannot  quote  several  poems 
from  this  choice  little  selection.  Many  of  them  are  poems 
of  the  war,  and  her  threnody  on  the  death  of  Lincoln  is, 
without  question,  fit  to  rank  with  Whitman's  "  My 
Captain  "  in  true  pathos  and  deep  toned  sympathy. 

An  incorrect  version  of  her  "  Stolen  Sunbeam  "  was 
yet  deemed  so  perfect  a  poem  that  Bryant  included  it 
in  his  Centenary  of  American  Song.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  some  enterprising  publisher,  will,  ere  long,  see  it  the 
part  of  good  business  policy  to  republish  this  little  volume, 
for  it  cannot  fail  to  give  great  pleasure  to  those  who  are 
fortunate  enough  to  secure  a  copy. 

One  of  the  books  that  all  those  interested  in  Utah  and 
the  Mormons  should  read  is  A.  B.  Carlton's  Wonderland 
of  the  Wild  West.  Mr.  Carlton  was  chairman  of  the 
United  States  Commission  appointed  by  the  President  to 
see  that  the  anti-polygamy  laws  of  Congress  were  carried 
out  in  Utah.  He  was  an  Indiana  lawyer  and  spent  six 
years  on  the  work  of  this  Commission.  Needless  to  say 
he  was  an  anti-Mormon.  The  book  is  sketchy,  and  by  no 
means  literature,  but  there  are  several  things  that  commend 
it.  There  is  an  honesty  of  purpose  and  a  spirit  of  fair- 
ness manifested  together  with  a  determination  to  carry 
out  the  law  against  polygamy.  Now  and  then  there  are 
fine  descriptive  touches,  some  of  which  are  well  worth 
quoting.  Historically  matters  are  presented  by  one  who 
had  time  to  study  the  subject  thoroughly,  and  while  the 
author  started  into  his  work  prejudiced  against  the  Mor- 
mons he  succeeded  in  showing  us  that  before  long,  after 
his  arrival  in  Utah,  his  ideas  underwent  many  changes. 

Harry  L.  A.  Culmer,  to  whom  attention  has  been  called 
in  the  chapter  on  artists,  would  have  been  equally  famous 
in  literature  had  he  chosen  to  devote  himself  to  it.     In 


'276       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

that  chapter  quotations  are  given  from  an  article  written 
by  him  on  "  Mountain  Art "  that  show  decided  Hterary 
abihty.  Elsewhere  fugitive  pages  from  his  pen  are  found. 
In  Tullidgc's  Quarterly  Magazine,  January,  1881,  is  an 
article  entitled  "  Our  Adventure  in  the  Wasatch  Moun- 
tains,'' which  shows  the  power  of  his  imagination  and 
the  dramatic  skill  with  which  he  was  enabled  to  present 
his  visionings  as  well  as  his  joy  in  the  scenery  of  this  glo- 
rious range.  The  story  tells  how  he  and  a  young  artist 
friend  were  caught  in  a  storm  and  in  trying  to  find  their 
way  to  shelter  came  upon  a  charcoal-burning  hermit,  who 
in  his  anger  and  rage  at  seeing  them,  fell  into  an  epileptic 
fit.  On  his  recovery,  feeling  that  death  was  rapidly 
approaching  him,  the  hermit  told  the  thrilling  and  sad 
story  of  his  life.  It  is  in  the  telling  of  this  romantic  his- 
tory that  Culmer  displays  his  power. 

In  1880,  Edward  W.  Tullidge  started  the  publication  of 
a  quarterly  magazine,  which  existed  for  two  years.  It 
was  a  part  of  the  so-called  "  reform  "  movement  against 
certain  phases  of  Mormonism.  There  are  many  interest- 
ing as  well  as  instructive  historical  pages  in  each  issue  of 
this  magazine,  and  though  antagonistic,  in  some  respects, 
to  certain  claifns  of  the  Mormon  leaders,  it  gives  fair  and 
even  laudatory  sketches  of  them  and  their  work. 

It  can  well  be  imagined  that  the  great  variety  of  yarns 
told  by  those  who  had  passed  through  Utah  and  had  come 
in  contact  with  the  Mormons,  and  especially  after  Brig- 
ham  Young's  successful  harassment  of  the  federal  forces 
in  1858,  the  promulgation  of  the  polygamy  revelation,  and 
the  Mountain  Meadow  massacre,  would  necessarily  let 
loose  a  flood  of  stories,  dramas,  novels,  filled  with  the 
wildest  stretches  of  imagination  of  which  the  human 
mind  is  capable.  Joaquin  Miller,  the  Poet  of  the  Sierras, 
wrote  his  Danites,  under  the  impulse  of  this  flood  of 
hatred  turned  against  the  Mormons,  but  in  after  years  he 
always  regretted  it,  and  again  and  again  has  said  to  me 


Utah's  Influence  Upon  Literature       277 

that  it  was  the  first  and  only  time  he  ever  allowed  his  mind 
to  be  swept  away  by  a  popular  clamor  against  anyone. 

Captain  Marryat,  in  his  Monsieur  Violet,  was  led  off 
into  pages  of  tirade  against  the  Mormons.  Denouncing 
Joseph  Smith  formed  a  dramatic  episode  in  his  book. 

Geraldine  Bonner,  in  her  Tomorrow's  Tangle,  intro- 
duces a  dramatic  situation  based  upon  the  possibility  of 
one  of  her  characters  having  been  a  Mormon  with  more 
than  one  wife,  and  Harry  Leon  Wilson,  the  genial  author 
of  the  Red  Gap  stories,  before  he  had  struck  that  most 
interesting  and  popular  gait,  wrote  a  book  which  sup- 
posedly told  the  truth  about  the  Mormons.  The  title  was 
suggestive  of  Brigham  Young  and  his  associates :  The 
Lion  of  the  Lord.  The  book  is  well  written  of  course, 
but  its  facts  are  largely  a  rehash  of  John  Doyle  Lee's 
Confessions.  In  his  introduction,  Wilson  thus  speaks  of 
the  secret  vengeances  of  the  Church,  of  the  "  Danites  " 
and  the  power  they  had  over  the  timid  souls  of  the 
Mormons : 

"  There  are  others  still  living  in  a  certain  valley  of  the 
mountains  who  will  know  why  the  soul-proud  youth  came 
to  bend  under  invisible  burdens,  and  why  he  feared,  as 
an  angel  of  vengeance,  that  early  cow-boy  with  the  yellow 
hair,  who  came  singing  down  from  the  high  divide  into 
Amalon  where  a  girl  was  waiting  in  her  dream  of  a  single 
love ;  others  who,  to  this  day,  will  do  no  more  than  whis- 
per with  averted  faces  of  the  crime  that  brought  a  curse 
upon  the  land;  who  still  live  in  terror  of  shapes  that 
shuffle  furtively  behind  them,  fumbling  sometimes  at  their 
shoulders  with  weak  hands,  striving  ever  to  come  in  front 
and  turn  upon  them." 

Even  Conan  Doyle  had  to  take  his  fling  at  the  Mormons 
in  his  Study  in  Scarlet,  and  it  certainly  is  not  to  the  credit 
of  a  truly  great  author  that  he  was  stampeded  into  accept- 
ing accusations  of  horrible  crimes  against  the  Mormon 
leaders  as  proven  facts.     Listen  : 


278       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

"The  victims  of  persecution  (the  Mormons)  had  now 
turned  persecutors  on  their  own  account,  and  persecutors 
of  the  most  terrible  description.  Not  the  inquisition  of 
Seville,  nor  the  German  Vehmgericht,  nor  the  secret  soci- 
eties of  Italy  were  ever  able  to  put  a  more  formidable 
machinery  in  motion  than  that  which  cast  a  cloud  over  the 
Territory  of  Utah, 

"  Its  invisibility,  and  the  mystery  which  was  attached  to 
it,  made  this  orgaziation  doubly  terrible.  It  appeared  to 
be  omniscient  and  omnipotent,  and  yet  was  neither  seen 
nor  heard.  The  man  who  held  out  against  the  Church 
vanished  azvay,  and  none  knew  whither  he  had  gone  or 
what  had  befallen  him.  His  wife  and  children  awaited 
him  at  home,  but  no  father  had  ever  returned  to  tell  them 
how  he  had  fared  at  the  hand  of  his  secret  judges.  A  rash 
word  or  a  hasty  act  was  followed  by  annihilation,  and  yet 
none  knew  what  the  nature  might  be  of  this  terrible  power 
which  was  suspended  over  them.  No  wonder  that  men 
went  about  in  fear  and  trembling,  and  that  even  in  the 
heart  of  the  wilderness  they  dared  not  whisper  the  doubts 
which  oppressed  them." 

In  this  story  John  Ferrier  is  "  required  "  to  give  his 
adopted  daughter  in  marriage  to  a  Mormon.  Brigham 
Young  himself  comes  to  "  advise  "  or  "  counsel "  the 
refractory  father.  After  due  consideration  he  refuses,  as 
she  has  chosen  someone  else,  who  is  a  Gentile.  Then, 
with  dramatic  power,  the  great  writer,  page  after  page, 
enlarges  the  stealthy  terror  of  the  powers  of  vengeance, 
until  Ferrier,  his  daughter  and  her  lover  escape  from 
Utah.  They  are  pursued  by  "  The  Avenging  Angels." 
Ferrier  slain,  Lucy  captured,  taken  back  to  Salt  Lake 
City  and  there  compulsorily  married  to  the  Mormon  youth 
who  desired  her.  Her  lover  discovered  the  fact,  and 
thereafter  pledged  his  life  to  vengeance,  and  the  remain- 
ing portion  of  the  volume  is  devoted  to  telling  how  he 
sought  and  ultimately  found  it.    Of  course  the  subject  is 


Utah's  Influence  Upon  Literature      279 

a  dramatic  one,  but  to  my  mind  it  is  a  monstrously  cruel 
thing  to  load  upon  any  people  the  burden  of  such  accusa- 
tions, unless  they  can  be  proven  by  incontrovertible 
evidence. 

Zane  Grey  has  taken  a  somewhat  similar  attitude 
towards  certain  phases  of  Mormonism  in  his  novels, 
Riders  of  the  Purple  Sage,  and  The  Rainbow  Trail,  but 
he  has  enriched  his  volume  with  many  wonderfully  poetic, 
dramatic  and  graphic  descriptions  of  the  little  known 
country  of  southeastern  Utah.  Even  Charles  Felton 
Pidgin,  as  late  as  1912,  twenty-two  years  after  President 
Wilford  Woodruff  had  announced  the  abandonment  of 
polygamy,  felt  called  upon  to  write  The  House  of  Shame, 
a  novel,"  in  which  is  told  a  story  of  love  and  marriage,  — 
not  the  marriage  preceded  by  days  of  loving  courtship,  the 
ring  and  the  kiss,  and  the  congratulations  of  relatives  and 
friends,  but  the  mating  that  takes  place  in  the  great 
American  House  of  Shame,  —  the  Mormon  Church." 

There  have  been  secessions  from  the  Mormon  Church 
for  one  reason  or  other.  The  Reorganized  Church  of 
Latter-day  Saints  practically  separated  from  the  present 
Mormon  Church  on  account  of  polygamy,  and  they  have 
issued  much  polemic  literature  upon  the  subject.  One  of 
their  members,  Paula  Brown,  wrote  a  novel.  The  Mormon 
Girl,  showing  the  horrors  of  polygamy  and  using  the 
"  Danites  "  with  dramatic  effect. 

Another  secession  was  that  of  James  Jesse  Strang,  who 
called  himself  "  King  of  the  Mormons,"  and  located  on 
Beaver  Island,  in  northern  Lake  Michigan,  so  I  gather 
from  a  remarkably  interesting  novel  written  by  James 
Oliver  Curwood.  This  book  was  published  in  1908  by 
Bobbs  Merrill  Company,  and  is  entitled  The  Courage  of 
Captain  Plum,  and  is  but  another  of  the  stories  that  have 
helped  befog  and  confuse  the  public  mind. 

There  is  another  class  of  writing  that  is  too  important 
in  its  pernicious  influence  to  be  overlooked.    This  includes 


280       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

the  works  of  psychologists  and  others  to  account  for 
Joseph  Smith.  One  of  the  leaders  in  this  class  is  The 
Founder  of  Mormon'ism,  by  L.  Woodbridge  Riley.  Some 
of  the  materials  of  the  book  were  utilized  in  1898  for  a 
?klaster  of  Arts  thesis  on  the  Metaphysics  of  Mormonism, 
and  it  was  enlarged  and  presented  to  Yale  University  — 
as  a  thesis  for  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy.  In 
it  the  author  proceeds,  in  a  supposed  strictly  scientific 
method,  to  analyze  Joseph's  ancestry,  the  dreams  of  his 
father  and  mother,  and  their  relation  to  the  visions  of 
Joseph  himself.  A  chapter  is  devoted  to  his  environments 
and  visions,  and  the  latter  according  to  the  author,  are 
"  largely  explained  by  the  influences  of  suggestion  and 
hypnotism." 

The  "  value  "  of  this  kind  of  absurd  speculative  writing 
may  be  understood  when  I  call  attention  to  the  fact  that 
Mr.  Riley's  publishers,  The  Putnams'  Sons,  have  repudi- 
ated his  articles  on  "  Christian  Science,"  and  "  Mormon- 
ism," which  appeared  in  the  last  volume  of  the  Cambridge 
History  of  American  Literature  series,  have  called  in  the 
copies  of  the  book  already  issued,  suppressed  the  remain- 
der of  the  edition,  and  promised  a  new  issue  with  fair 
and  truthful  articles  replacing  Riley's  fantastic  absurdities. 

Another  remarkable  book  that,  however,  can  scarcely 
be  said  to  be  solely  a  product  of  Mormon  polygamy  is 
William  Hepworth  Dixon's  Spiritual  Wives,  in  the  two 
volumes  of  which  he  gives  a  graphic  and  comprehensive 
account  of  the  almost  simultaneous  promulgation  of  the 
doctrine  in  Germany,  England,  New  England  and  Utah. 

One  of  the  charming  writers  of  our  day  is  Florence  A. 
Merriam  (Bailey)  whose  books  on  birds  and  bird  lore  are 
enjoyed  wherever  birds  are  loved.  In  1904  she  published 
My  Summer  in  a  Mormon  Village.  It  is  full  of  exquisite 
and  delicate  cameos  of  description  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake, 
the  birds,  the  people  with  whom  she  met,  and  especially 
of  one  dear  old  English  grandma,  who  with  her  husband 


Utah's  Influence  Upon  Literature      281 

had  embraced  Mormonism  in  an  early  day,  had  left  com- 
fort and  luxury  behind,  and  joined  the  pioneers. 

"  It  was  like  reading  a  page  of  history  to  hear  her  tell 
about  crossing  the  plains.  .  .  .  Their  company  was 
a  wealthy  one  of  fifty  teams  and  they  had  a  merry  time 
in  crossing  the  plains.  Even  after  traveling  all  day  they 
were  not  too  tired  to  dance  at  night.  '  We  had  splendid 
singers  in  our  band,'  grandma  said  with  a  smile  of  pleas- 
ure at  the  memory  of  those  days.  But  it  was  not  all 
brightness.  They  met  with  one  of  the  tragedies  so  com- 
mon in  pioneer  life  —  their  oxen  stampeded  and  killed  a 
number  of  women  and  children.  Grandma  pressed  her 
own  children  thankfully  to  her  heart,  and  the  mourn- 
ers buried  their  dead  on  the  lonely  plain  and  went  on 
their  way. 

"...  She  liked  to  remember  the  voyage  over. 
'  I  love  the  sea,'  she  exclaimed,  with  a  noble  light  in  her 
eyes.  *  We  had  a  terrible  storm  but  no  Latter-day  Saint 
was  ever  lost  at  sea,  which  shows  that  we  were  guided  and 
blest  —  doesn't  it  ? '  she  confused  me  by  asking,  in  her 
sweet  straight-forward  way." 

One  of  the  valuable  historic  records  of  the  days  prior  to 
the  building  of  the  Union  and  Central  Pacific  railways  is 
The  Great  Salt  Lake  Trail  by  those  two  western  pioneers. 
Colonels  Henry  Inman,  and  William  F.  Cody.  It  is  the 
story  of  thrilling  days  and  nights  of  stress,  storm,  dan- 
ger and  death.  All  the  pioneers  who  helped  blaze  this 
trail  from  civilization  into  the  heart  of  the  desert 
are  recalled  in  glowing  periods  and  the  narrative  is  excit- 
ing throughout. 

Of  all  the  books  written  by  Mormons  who  abjured  their 
early  belief  perhaps  the  best,  and  the  one  written  with  the 
least  animus  is  T.  H.  B.  Stenhouse's,  The  Rocky  Moun- 
tain Saints.  Naturally  it  criticises  both  the  belief  and 
the  leaders  of  the  Church  of  his  time,  but  there  seems  to 
be  no  dishonest,  unfair  or  vindictive  spirit  shown.     His 


282       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

wife's  book,  however,  Tell  It  All,  is  full  throughout  of  a 
bitter  spirit  against  polygamy  and  she  condemns  the  sys- 
tem and  those  who  introduced  it  in  no  unmeasured  terms. 

A  noted  woman  in  California  literature  should,  in  jus- 
tice, be  accredited  to  Utah,  for  this  was  her  birthplace.  I 
refer  to  Ninetta  Eames  Payne,  long  of  Glen  Ellen,  but 
now  of  Berkeley,  California.  As  H.  A.  Crittenden,  a 
well-known  New  York  journalist,  wrote  of  her: 

"  She  is  a  writer  whose  fine  enthusiasm  and  inimitable 
descriptive  style  have  done  more  than  any  other  individual 
agency  to  make  the  natural  attractions  of  California  and 
the  West  better  known.  .  .  .  Her  prose  contribu- 
tions .  .  .  are  of  the  very  essence  of  poetry.  They 
have  caught  and  embalmed  the  hum  of  the  bees,  the  voices 
of  the  birds,  the  bronzed  glintings  of  the  hillsides,  the 
mad  exuberance  of  the  flowers,  the  soothing  influence  of 
the  manzanitas,  and  the  religious  inspirations  of  the 
sequoia  forests.  The  minuteness,  the  lovingness,  the  fidel- 
ity with  which  she  lingers  over  these  themes  entitle  her 
to  be  called  the  Thoreau  of  her  day  and  of  the  Pacific 
Coast." 

She  and  Culmer,  the  artist,  were  life-long  friends,  and 
it  was  owing  to  this  friendship  that  the  world  owes  Cul- 
mer's  paintings  of  the  cypresses  at  Monterey,  and  the 
various  allurements  of  the  Yosemite.  Several  articles 
that  Mrs.  Payne  wrote  were  illustrated  by  Culmer. 

One  of  her  most  distinctive  Utah  articles  appeared  in 
Outing,  for  March,  1897,  and  is  entitled  "  Cruising  Among 
the  Salt  Lake  Islands."  After  recounting  some  of  the 
wild,  weird  and  startling  traditions  prevalent  in  her  child- 
hood days  about  the  lake,  she  says : 

"  To  spend  even  days,  to  say  nothing  of  weeks,  within 
sight  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  is  to  become  possessed 
with  an  ardent  longing  to  set  foot  on  the  mysterious 
peaky  islands  far  out  on  its  dazzling  plain.  At  no  hour 
is  one  indifferent  to  their  allurement  and  beauty.     In  the 


Utah's  Influence  Upon  Literature      283 

crystal  mornings,  through  the  burnished  network  of  mid- 
summer noons,  and  in  the  unspeakable  grandeur  of 
the  sunsets,  the  picturesqueness  and  seeming  inac- 
cessibility of  these  isolated  points,  irresistibly  appeal  to 
the  imagination." 

The  boat  she  went  on  was  the  Cambria,  of  the  English 
model  of  catamaran,  in  order  to  float  on  the  shallow 
waters  and  also  bear  the  astonishing  weight  of  the  waves. 

"  By  middle  June  and  on  through  July  and  August,  the 
lake  is  at  its  best.  A  fine  breeze  is  usually  to  be  counted 
on  in  the  early  morning,  and  late  in  the  afternoon  it 
blows  up  lively  again,  making  a  sail  at  sunset  a  delight. 

"  Three  mountain  chains  cross  the  lake  bed,  and  are 
easily  traceable  by  the  distinct  groups  of  islands  that  mark 
their  course.  Antelope  and  Fremont  are  in  a  line  with 
Promonitory  Point,  which  shows  the  northward  connec- 
tion with  the  Oquirrhs;  the  Aqui  peaks  leave  Stansbury, 
Egg,  Carrington,  and  Hat  Islands  in  their  wake,  and  fur- 
ther to  the  west  —  dimly  outlined  in  the  ineffable  blend- 
ing of  sea  and  horizon,  the  Desert  Range  lifts  a  trio  of 
bold  heads.  Strong's  Knob,  Gunnison  and  Dolphin. 

"  Of  these  islands,  Antelope  is  the  best  known  . 
It  has  an  average  width  of  four  miles,  and  its  highest 
point  is  3,000  feet  above  the  lake,  and  7,200  feet  above 
sea  level.  There  is  little  diversity  in  the  topography  of 
the  eastern  coast,  but  a  look  at  the  west  side  from  the 
stony  ledge  of  Pilot's  Peak  discovers  troops  of  chimneyed 
rocks  stepping  out  boldly  into  the  wrinkled  shoals  and 
back  of  them  the  dizzy  mountain  front  is  gutted  and 
cloven  into  monstrous  shapes  by  the  erosions  of  storms 
and  sea. 

"  From  Monument  Ridge,  the  highest  elevation  of  the 
island  .  .  .  the  view  is  stupendously  grand,  yet  des- 
olate beyond  words.  The  awful  aloofness  of  the  distant 
mountains  and  islands,  their  profound  isolation  from 
human  interests,  were  an  enchantment  as  well  as  a  w^eight 


284       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

to  the  spirit.  Indeed,  I  had  never  beheld  a  scene  that 
impressed  me  so  strongly  with  its  utter  loneliness.  This 
may  have  been  due  in  part  to  a  stillness  that  was  devo- 
tional and  the  total  absence  of  life,  save  a  solitary  wild 
duck  floating  on  the  rippleless  arc  of  White  Rock  Bay. 
The  whitened  mass  piled  fantastically  off  shore  gives  the 
bay  its  name  and  adds  an  efifective  dash  to  the  uniform 
shades  of  lake  and  sky,  and  the  stern  rock-casing  of  the 
island. 

"  Westward  and  north  the  immensity  of  the  sun-hot 
blue,  sown  with  islands,  spread  away  and  away  to  the 
glare  of  the  desert  and  the  cloud-mixed  summits  of  the 
terrace  chain.  White  Rock  seemed  hardly  a  stone's  throw 
off,  and  beyond  it  rose  Carrington's  notched  circle,  with 
its  single  culminating  peak,  and  farther  still,  where  the 
eye  lingers  longest,  was  that  group  of  bleached  limestone 
cliffs  —  wan  specters  of  islands  upthrust  in  dun  sea 
spaces  —  Strong's  Knob,  Gunnison,  and  Dolphin,  whose 
infinite  sequestration  is  the  despair  of  lovers  of  the 
uniquely  picturesque.  The  twin  domes  of  Stansbury  were 
loftily  defined  against  the  faint  snow-line  of  the  Tuilla 
Range,  and  Fremont,  standing  boldly  apart  off  the  grim 
obtrusion  of  Monument  Ridge,  was  yet  near  enough  for 
us  to  distinguish  the  twisted  formation  that  makes  it 
sometimes  called  '  Castle  Island.' 

"  Directly  across  from  the  north  face  of  Fremont, 
Promontory  Point  juts  into  the  lake,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  striking  features  of  the  mainland.  On  the  north 
and  east,  the  eye  can  trace  gigantic  gaps  in  the  blue  and 
white  of  the  Wasatch,  where  the  three  rivers  —  Bear, 
Weber  and  Jordan*  —  force  their  way  to  the  Great  Basin, 
and  thence  lakeward  through  green  marsh  borders.  This 
constant  influx  of  fresh  streams  makes  no  perceptible 
decrease  in  the  saltness  of  the  waters. 

•Mrs.  Payne  Is  in  error  here.     The  Jordan  River  does  not  force  its  way  to  the  Great 
Basio.     It  is  a  short  stream  connecting  Utah  Lake  with  Salt  Lake. 


Utah's  Influence  Upon  Literature       285 

"  A  noticeable  feature  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  is  that 
the  wind  here  has  none  of  the  salt  freshness  of  the  ocean, 
but  rather  the  warmth  and  electric  dryness  that  belong  to 
desert  regions.  The  extreme  dimensions  of  the  lake  are 
about  eighty  miles  in  length,  and  fifty  in  width,  and  its 
greatest  depth  does  not  exceed  sixty  feet.  Some  concep- 
tion may  be  had  of  its  altitude  when  one  reflects  that  its 
surface  is  higher,  above  sea  level,  than  the  average  height 
of  the  Alleghany  Mountains. 

"...  Contrary  to  supposition,  there  are  living 
things  in  this  *  Dead  Sea  of  America,'  minute,  it  is  true, 
but  multitudinous  in  number,  though  few  in  species.  The 
sole  representative  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  is  an  alga, 
green  and  soft  as  plush  and  the  size  of  a  buckshot.  This 
globular  seaweed  aggregates  and  floats  in  ragged  mats  on 
the  surface.  It  is  the  food  of  innumerable  small  winged 
shrimps  peculiar  to  this  water.  In  July  the  larvae  of  mil- 
lions of  tiny  flies  are  attached  to  the  algae  —  the  shrimps, 
the  black  oat-shaped  worms  and  the  flies  constituting  all 
the  animal  life  found  in  the  lake." 

It  is  a  regret  that  I  cannot  include  here  Mrs.  Payne's 
graphic  and  thrilling  description  of  a  dark  and  starless 
night,  suddenly  illuminated  by  a  brilliant  moon,  and  finally 
lost  in  a  wondrous  dawn,  with  which  she  concludes  her 
sketch. 

Among  the  citizens  of  Utah  of  today  I  find  the  literary 
spirit  in  active  evidence.  One  man  in  particular,  Albert 
Whipple  Hadley,  though  born  in  1879  in  Minnesota,  and 
a  w^orld-wide  traveler,  came  to  Utah  in  1900,  and  ever 
since  has  kept  returning  to  his  first  love.  He  now  resides 
in  Ogden.  His  specialty,  strange  to  say,  is  Egyptology, 
and  he  has  the  proud  record  of  being  the  only  man  to 
secure  photographs  of  the  secret  upper  chambers  of  the 
great  pyramid,  as  well  as  the  lower  passage  and  chambers 
of  the  second  and  third  pyramids.  He  firmly  believes  that 
Khnem-Ba-Khuf   was  the  real   and  original   builder  of 


28fi       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

the  great  pyramid  and  that  Cheops  came  later  and  endeav- 
ored to  "  obhterate  "  his  predecessor  and  then  claim 
that  the  pyramid  was  his.  He  makes  out  an  exceedingly 
strong  case. 

Mr.  Hadley  has  written  many  poems,  most  of  them 
locally  published,  from  which  I  select  the  following: 

The  CEDAR  TREE'S  LOVE 

"  You,  Oh  Cryptomeria  grand. 

Were  a  sapling  straight  and  tall, 
And  I  but  a  seedling  with  the  ferns, 

Growing  beside  the  wall. 
I  watched  you  towering  there  above 

All  bathed  in  sunlight's  glow. 
And  envied  the  other  trees  about, 

And  worshipped  you  here  below. 

"  You  seemed  to  notice  me  now  and  then. 

So  I  flourished  in  anxious  fear, 
Lest  you  might  favor  the  stately  pine 

That  trembling,  stood  so  near. 
She  drooped  and  died  when  you  turned  your  head, 

And  Fd  gained  your  love  I  know. 
For  I  felt  your  strong  roots  clasping  mine 

Deep  in  the  soil  below. 

"  And  on  through  the  drifting  years  you  told 

Me  tales  of  the  world  above. 
While  I  told  you  of  the  things  of  earth 

And  dwelt  in  a  realm  of  love. 
Dim  centuries  hence  when  you've  grown  old, 

And  I  am  gnarled  and  dead. 
You'll  feel  my  roots  still  pressing  yours 

As  the  days  when  we  were  wed. 


Utah^s  Influence  Upon  Literature      287 

"  When  the  night-bird's  call  to  its  ghostly  mate 

Is  echoed  across  the  glen, 
You'll  think  of  the  sighs  that  we  exchanged, 

Alone  in  the  tangled  fen. 
Ah,  Cryptomeria  —  loved  one,  mine, 

Though  centuries  come  and  go. 
You'll  cherish  a  thought  for  the  cedar  tree 

That  loved  you  here  below." 

Just  before  going  to  press  I  have  received  from  Mr. 
liadley  an  interesting  collection  of  his  poems,  entitled 
Hadley's  Mormon  Rhymes,  by  a  Non-Mormon,  which  is 
well  worth  careful  perusal. 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  ARTISTS  AND  SCULPTORS  OF  UTAH 

It  may  truthfully  be  said  that  fifty  years  ago  there  was 
little  real  American  art.  The  art  of  Paris,  London  and 
Italy  dominated  the  thought  and  expression  of  our 
American  painters,  because  the  foreign  standards  had 
formed  the  tastes  and  therefore  controlled  the  pocket- 
books  of  their  patrons.  It  has  ever  been  hard  for  the 
human  mind  to  break  away  from  tradition,  and  it  is  not 
in  the  power  of  every  one  who  desires  freedom  to  win  it. 
Desire,  will,  longing,  may  go  a  long  way  towards  freedom, 
but  only  when  these  are  combined  with  genius  in  expres- 
sion are  prejudices  overcome,  new  standards  justified,  and 
the  victory  gained. 

The  West  has  borne  a  large  part  in  achieving  this  free- 
dom for  American  art.  Such  men  as  Albert  Bierstadt, 
Thomas  Moran,  Harry  L.  A.  Culmer,  Thomas  Hill,  Wil- 
liam Keith,  Julian  Rix,  and  Chris  Jorgensen  have  won  for 
themselves  honest  fame  not  only  in  spite  of  their  deviation 
from  European  standards  but  because  of  their  sponta- 
neous, natural  and  truthful  presentation  of  the  landscapes 
that  they  loved,  which  were  American  —  purely  western. 
Any  attempt  to  present  them  in  other  than  distinctly  west- 
ern fashion,  that  is,  with  a  free,  untrammeled  hand,  would 
have  been  afTected  and  untrue. 

One  of  the  daring  artists  who  was  impelled  by  the  hon- 
esty of  his  own  nature  to  become  a  purely  western  artist 
was  Utah's  honored  son,  Harry  L.  A,  Culmer,  of  Salt 
Lake  City.    Born  in  Kent,  England,  March  25,  1854,  his 

288 


Monument  Park,  in  Southeastern  Utah 

From  a  painting  by  H.  L.  A.  Culmer.    In  the  author's 
private  collection 


jtP^p^'Vv*' 


f^^Mi, 


The  Artists  and  Sculptors  of  Utah      289 

parents  removed  to  Utah  when  he  was  yet  a  small  lad. 
As  a  boy  he  longed  to  be  a  painter,  yet  the  demands  of  a 
life  of  poverty  allowed  him  to  give  only  his  Sundays  and 
holidays  to  the  carrying  out  of  his  heart's  desire.  Yet 
such  was  his  natural  ability  that  he  early  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  artists  of  Salt  Lake  City,  principally  of 
Alfred  Lambourne  to  whom  he  was  indebted  for  long- 
continued  and  most  generous  assistance.  At  intervals  he 
worked  under  masters  in  California  and  New  York;  but 
his  studies  under  the  tutelage  of  others  were  brief,  and 
his  training  and  the  success  he  achieved  were  mainly  the 
result  of  his  own  genius  and  a  never-failing  energy  in 
seeking  to  express  it. 

To  the  outward  world  Mr.  Culmer  was  a  business  man, 
being  intimately  connected  with  several  important  enter- 
prises of  Utah.  Only  to  his  friends,  and  in  his  leisure 
hours,  was  he  the  masterly  artist,  and  not  until  four  years 
prior  to  his  death  did  he  feel  justified  in  casting  aside 
business  cares  and  responsibilities  and  devoting  himself 
altogether  to  his  beloved  art.  He  painted  both  in  oils  and 
water  colors,  and  it  is  a  question  not  easily  settled,  among 
critics,  in  which  medium  his  genius  the  better  expressed 
itself.  Those  who  have  his  vivid  water  colors  of  the  Red 
Rock  Country,  the  Vermillion  Cliffs,  the  Monument  Park 
Region,  and  the  Colossal  Bridges  of  southeastern  Utah, 
claim  that  in  these  the  artist  was  at  his  best;  while  those 
who  rejoice  in  the  possession  of  his  occasional  oils  of 
those  regions,  or  of  canvases  of  the  exquisite  lakes  of  the 
Uinta  and  Wasatch  ranges,  the  Tetons  in  Wyoming,  the 
Cypresses  of  Monterey,  etc.,  are  convinced  of  his  super- 
excellence  in  this  medium. 

In  his  desire  for  art  culture  and  expression  Culmer  was 
not  satisfied  with  a  narrow  and  limited  outlook.  He  was 
a  voracious  and  yet  careful  reader  —  a  student,  indeed  not 
only  of  art,  but  of  philosophy,  science  and  life.  Though, 
as  we  say,  self-educated,  he  was  highly  educated,  for  he 


290       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 


was  far  more  deeply,  really  and  intelligently  in  converse 
with  the  great  minds  of  the  ages  than  many  who  had 
taken  university  degrees. 

The  breadth  of  his  reading  and  studies  led  to  the  formu- 
lation of  high  personal  ideals  both  of  life  and  art.  He 
was  an  ideal  citizen.  He  performed  the  duties  inherent  in 
citizenship  with  a  faithfulness  and  interest  highly  to  be 
commended  to  those  who  ignore  such  responsibilities. 
He  gave  largely  of  his  time  and  talents  to  the  furtherance 
of  all  plans  for  the  benefit  of  his  city  and  state,  and 
few  men  in  Utah,  therefore,  were  ever  more  honored  or 
beloved. 

His  pictures,  too,  clearly  show  this  deep  and  real  cul- 
ture. There  are  no  mistakes  in  them  of  anatomy,  botany, 
dendrology  and  geology  any  more  than  of  the  fundamental 
principles  of  perspective,  drawing,  shading,  etc.  Such  of 
his  pictures  as  "  The  Mystery  of  the  Desert,"  and  "  The 
Temple  of  Om  "  both  of  which  are  in  the  lobby  of  the 
Hotel  Utah,  clearly  reveal  his  profound  knowledge  of 
geology  and  the  deep  significance  it  possesses  in  the  under- 
standing of  such  scenes  as  those  portrayed.  One  feels, 
as  he  looks  at  these  canvases,  the  countless  ages  required 
to  create  such  mysterious  desert  areas,  or  to  deposit  under 
the  seas,  uplift,  and  then  carve,  with  the  almost  impercep- 
tible showers  of  nature's  winds  and  rains,  storms  and  sun- 
shines, the  glorious  towers,  temples,  pinnacles,  minarets, 
cliffs,  bridges  and  buttresses  which  abound  in  the  state 
of  his  home  and  affection,  and  which  he  so  much  loved 

to  paint. 

That  he  was  no  mere  copyist  either  of  the  master  art- 
ists he  admired,  or  of  the  nature  he  loved,  is  demonstrated 
by  both  his  pictures  and  his  words.  Now  and  again  he 
wrote  of  his  conceptions.  In  one  of  his  articles  entitled 
"  Mountain  Art,"  he  daringly  and  justly  criticises  a  few 
of  our  great  American  painters,  and  shows  wherein  they 
failed  in  some  of  their  productions.     He  clearly  shows 


The  Artists  and  Sculptors  of  Utah      291 

that  the  treatment  of  a  subject  is  not  wholly  a  considera- 
tion of  truth,  but  is  largely  a  matter  of  choice.     He  says : 

"  The  question  is  whether  an  artist  should  narrow  his 
vision  to  seeing  but  one  side  of  nature,  or  whether  he 
should  go  out  doors  with  his  eyes  wide  open,  —  seeing  all, 
daring  all;  sometimes  failing  ignominiously,  but  making 
a  success,  now  and  then,  which  sheds  luster  upon  all  art, 
and  which  he  could  not  have  accomplished  if  he  had  lacked 
the  nerve  to  break  away  from  tradition  and  foreign 
influence." 

Then  he  pleads  with  American  artists  for  a  fuller  and 
more  comprehensive  treatment  of  American  mountains. 
He  traces  the  development  of  true  landscape  painting 
from  the  days  of  Titian  and  Tintoretto,  through  the  wild 
vagaries  yet  undoubted  genius  of  Salvator  Rosa,  the  truth- 
ful beauties  of  Claude  Lorraine,  to  the  masters  of  the 
English  and  German  schools.  He  then  shows  wherein 
American  critics  have  injured  American  art  by  their  atti- 
tude towards  the  master  mountain-painters,  and  compares 
these  giants  of  the  brush  with  those  who  "  abide  by  the 
edge  of  the  wood,  where  they  work  over  and  over  again 
the  material  that  ten  thousand  other  painters  have  worked 
in  during  the  past  hundred  years." 

Finally,  with  a  sweep  of  eloquence  inspired  by  his 
beloved  Utah  mountains,  he  declares : 

"  That  which  lifts  itself  above  the  level  is  the  moun- 
tain-painter's subject-matter,  the  aspiring,  the  exalted, 
the  lofty.  The  dwelling-place  of  Jove  is  on  the  summit  of 
Olympus,  —  God's  place  is  on  high.  He  delivered  the 
laws  to  Moses  on  Mount  Sinai.  *  How  beautiful  upon  the 
mountains  are  the  feet  of  Him  that  bringeth  glad  tidings ! ' 
How  are  the  thoughts  exalted  in  high  places !  What  are 
the  rhapsodies  on  the  mountain  top!  How  paltry  seem 
the  affairs  of  men  in  the  distant  valley,  when  one  stands 
on  a  lofty  summit,  with  the  canyon's  gloom  beneath  him 
and  the  great  northeast  wind  upon  his  brow,  —  when 


292       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 


mountain  chains  stretch  out  before  him,  the  forests 
beneath,  and  the  crags  piHng  tumultuously  around  his 
feet,  —  and  his  gaze  sweeps  over  a  vast  expanse  of  rifted 
chfTs  and  snowy  peaks  into  the  far  distance,  where  filmy 
clouds  drift  across  purple  hills,  which  are  lost  at  last  in 
the  infinite  beyond !  Then  the  true  artist  strives  in  vain  to 
calm  his  beating  heart;  his  brain  is  afire,  every  nerve  is 
tingling.  The  weight  of  thousands  of  feet  of  atmosphere 
is  lifted  from  his  head,  and  his  soul  leaps  in  ecstasy.  For 
the  emotions  especially  aroused  by  mountain  scenery  are 
those  of  sublimity,  awe  and  grandeur,  —  emotions  impos- 
sible to  inspire  by  figure  pictures  or  by  those  of  valley 
scenery.  Ruskin  says  that  mountains  have  always  pos- 
sessed the  power,  first,  of  exciting  religious  enthusiasm; 
secondly,  of  purifying  religious  faith. 

"  •  .  .  My  own  appreciation  of  mountain  beauty 
and  its  pictorial  allurements  has  grown  out  of  my  wander- 
ings in  Utah,  particularly  amidst  the  wild  and  picturesque 
scenery  of  the  Wasatch  and  Uinta  ranges.  .  .  .  Some 
of  our  mountains,  with  their  splendid  bold  fronts  rising 
from  the  grassy  valley,  are  as  fine  in  form  and  color  as 
any  in  the  world.  It  is  a  marked  characteristic  of  the 
Salt  Lake  Valley,  that  the  western  front  of  the  Wasatch 
presents  its  massive  wall  sheer  and  precipitous  above  the 
level  vale,  without  foot-hills,  and  absolutely  without  the 
lateral  ranges  which  are  rarely  absent  from  the  neighbor- 
hood of  high  peaks  in  other  countries.  It  is  this  feature 
which  makes  the  Wasatch  mountains  so  magnificently 
beautiful,  challenging  the  admiration  of  artists  particu- 
larly, who  rejoice  in  the  splendid  lines  carved  in  the  moun- 
tain side,  sometimes  sweeping  from  the  highest  peak 
to  mountain-foot.  These  lines  are  curved  and  grace- 
ful, most  of  them  taking  the  ideal  line  of  beauty.  Indeed 
the  line  of  beauty  is  never  swung  until  the  mountain  flings 
it  forth.  .  .  .  Again!  I  think  of  the  Alpine  lakes, 
of  the  Cottonwood  canyons.  Lake  Mary  and  many  others, 


The  Artists  and  Sculptors  of  Utah      2d?> 

and  of  one  high  lonely  pool  of  melted  ice  that  sleeps  far 
above  them  all.  Vast  beds  of  gleaming  snow  lie  along 
its  edge  in  July  and  August,  and  the  waters  have  that 
pale,  intangible  hue  of  green  so  characteristic  of  glacial 
pools.  The  altitude  is  so  great  that  the  vegetation  is  of  a 
different  nature  to  that  which  surrounds  the  lower  lakes. 
The  great  wind  currents  which  sweep  incessantly  from  the 
northeast  across  all  the  high  mountain  peaks  of  Utah,  have 
exerted  their  steady  pressure  on  the  hoary  old  pines,  until 
they  cling  in  a  most  weird  and  fantastic  manner  to  the 
porphyritic  cliffs.  It  is  the  limit  of  timber;  the  moun- 
tains above  are  bare  and  scored  with  perpendicular  lines, 
down  which  avalanches  have  rushed  with  uninterrupted 
force  for  centuries." 

It  was  singularly  appropriate,  therefore,  that  with  such 
sublime  thoughts  and  conceptions  of  the  mountains  as 
these  in  his  heart,  Mr.  Culmer's  last  painting  should  have 
been  of  "  Moonlight  on  the  Weber  River,"  in  the  Uinta 
range.  He  and  President  W.  F.  Jensen  of  the  Salt  Lake 
Commercial  Club  had  been  on  a  fishing  trip  on  the  Weber 
the  preceding  summer.  One  day  they  were  overtaken  by 
a  severe  storm.  They  remained  under  shelter  until  eve- 
ning when  the  storm  broke  to  give  away  to  a  wonderful 
moonlit  night.  Between  two  big  trees,  the  moon,  sur- 
rounded by  a  magnificent  cloud  effect,  played  down  upon 
the  dancing  waters  of  the  Weber.  Both  stopped  and 
enjoyed  the  scene  for  a  while  and  then  each  declared  it 
the  most  beautiful  he  had  ever  seen.  "  Paint  it  for  me !  " 
requested  Mr.  Jensen,  and  it  was  while  putting  the  finish- 
ing touches  upon  this  picture  that  the  artist  was  taken  ill, 
and,  a  few  days  later,  January  lo,  19 14,  passed  away. 

He  has  gone,  but  his  work  remains,  and  even  in  the 
reproduction  of  one  of  his  loved  mountain  scenes  pre- 
sented in  these  pages,  the  reader  is  assured  of  his  great 
and  lasting  genius.  I  have  been  thus  expansive  in  dealing 
with  Culmer  and  his  work,  because  I  regard  him  as  pre- 


20 1       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

eminently  the  greatest  painter  Utah  has  produced.  Yet 
the  state  has  other  artists  whose  work  must  have,  at  least, 
brief  mention. 

According  to  Tullidge,  the  first  man  to  devote  himself 
entirely  to  the  brush  in  Utah  was  William  Majors,  who 
painted  small  profile  portraits,  some  of  which  are  still 
found,  highly  prized,  in  the  homes  of  the  earliest  settlers. 
He  died  in  London  in  1853. 

In  1861  came  George  M.  Ottinger,  whose  conscientious 
and  original  work  is  found  in  the  scenery  of  the  old 
theater,  and  in  various  canvases  that  found  great  favor 
with  the  public,  both  in  Utah  and  the  East.  During  the 
Civil  War  he  made  some  excellent  pictures,  and  his 
"  Overland  Pony  Express  "  was  published  in  Harper's 
JVcckly.  In  his  larger  and  more  pretentious  work  he 
struck  out  into  decidedly  western  lines.  He  was  par- 
ticularly carried  away  with  Prescott's  historical  genius 
and  sought  to  visualize  upon  canvas  many  of  the  most 
vivid  scenes  of  Mexican  history.  Some  of  his  paintings 
are  notable,  especially  his  "  Montezuma  Receiving  the 
News  of  the  Landing  of  Cortez." 

In  1862  Daniel  A.  Weggeland,  a  native  of  Norway, 
arrived  in  Salt  Lake  City.  He  had  been  trained  in  the 
art  schools  and  by  the  artists  of  his  own  country  and  Den- 
mark, and  had  also  had  some  experience  in  England.  On 
his  arrival  he  was  speedily  engaged  on  the  scenery  of  the 
new  theater,  and  later  his  canvases  began  to  attract  atten- 
tion. He  won  several  gold  and  silver  medals  and  diplomas 
of  merit,  and  those  who  now  own  his  pictures  are  par- 
ticularly proud  of  them, 

A  year  later  came  John  Tullidge,  an  Englishman,  from 
Weymouth,  and  quite  a  number  of  his  landscapes  found 
their  way  into  the  collections  of  the  Walker  brothers,  both 
of  whom  fully  appreciated  his  artistic  ability. 

It  was  largely  through  the  efforts  of  Ottinger,  Wegge- 
land and  Tullidge  that  the  Deseret  Academy  of  Arts  was 


The  Artists  and  Sculptors  of  Utah      295 

organized  in  1863.  This  institution  did  great  good  in  fur- 
thering art  education  in  the  chief  city  of  the  new  state, 
though  its  efforts  were  not  long-Hved. 

In  1866  another  EngHshman,  Arthur  Mitchell,  arrived 
in  Salt  Lake  City.  He  was  very  fond  of  painting  fruit 
pieces  and  showed  wonderful  aptitude  in  this  regard, 
though  now  and  again,  a  rarely  delicate  landscape,  of 
small  size,  would  come  from  his  brush.  These  are  all 
highly  prized  by  their  happy  possessors. 

Ruben  Kirkham,  who  lived  in  Logan,  also  arrived  about 
this  time,  and  being  soon  enamoured  of  the  stupendous 
scenes  of  the  Wasatch  and  other  mountain  ranges  of 
Utah,  he  began  to  depict  the  grand  and  majestic,  the  glo- 
rious and  sublime  features  that  so  appealed  to  him. 

Though  he  came  to  Salt  Lake  City  in  1866,  a  boy  of 
sixteen,  it  was  in  1870  that  he  began  to  attract  some 
notice  by  his  attempts  at  artistic  expression.  He  was 
ambitious  to  become  a  great  painter,  and  several  pictures 
of  his  that  adorn  the  walls  of  Salt  Lake  City  homes  show 
that  he  had  some  originality  and  considerable  force  and 
vigor.  But  his  pupil  and  friend,  Culmer,  soon  surpassed 
him,  and  he  will  later  be  better  known  for  the  help  he 
rendered  the  younger  artist,  than  by  any  achievements  of 
his  own,  worthy  though  they  are  of  high  consideration. 

One  of  the  most  popular  of  the  living  artists  of  Utah 
today  is  a  native,  J.  B.  Fairbanks,  who  was  born  at  Pay- 
son,  December  2^,  1855.  His  eagerness  as  a  boy  to 
know  something  of  painting  and  how  it  was  done,  is  illus- 
trated by  the  story  that,  when  he  was  quite  a  lad,  he  hov- 
ered eagerly  about  the  Union  Hall,  hoping  he  might  be 
admitted  and  thus  be  enabled  to  see  the  painters  at  work 
on  some  new  scenery.  One  of  the  painters  seeing  his 
eagerness,  made  him  happy  by  telling  him  that  if  he  would 
carry  water  for  them  he  might  come  into  the  hall.  He 
very  gladly  accepted  the  position  as  water-carrier,  and  as 
he  watched  the  work  he  even  ventured  suggestions  rel- 


290       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

ative  to  the  scenery,  and  some  of  these  suggestions  were 
accepted.  When  Fairbanks  was  eighteen  years  of  age  he 
received  considerable  help  in  his  studies  of  drawing  from 
a  Mr.  J.  L.  Townsend,  an  eastern  college  graduate,  who 
came  to  teach  school  at  Payson,  and  the  following  year  he 
was  made  happy  by  seeing  a  real  artist  at  work  using  real 
tube-colors  and  the  dainty  brushes  of  the  profession.  This 
artist  was  John  Hafen,  and  he  set  Fairbanks  at  work  copy- 
ing such  representations  as  he  deemed  would  be  helpful 
to  the  struggling  youth.  He  evidently  was  pleased  with 
his  success,  for,  soon  thereafter,  he  took  him  into  partner- 
ship in  the  work  of  enlarged  portrait  painting.  Then  in 
June,  1890,  came  the  great  opportunity.  The  officials  of 
the  Mormon  Church  chose  Hafen,  Lorus  Pratt,  and  Fair- 
banks to  go  to  Paris  to  study  under  the  best  masters  in 
order  that  on  their  return  they  might  decorate  some  of 
the  rooms  of  the  Salt  Lake  Temple.  On  the  first  of 
August  he  entered,  with  his  companions,  the  Academy 
Julian  and  studied  under  Benj.  Constant,  Jules  Lefebre, 
M.  Duce  and  Jean  Paul  Loranz.  In  the  spring  of  '91 
he  went  out  into  the  country  and  for  three  months  studied 
very  hard,  sketching  and  painting  landscapes.  When  he 
returned  to  the  city  Will  Clawson  suggested  that  he  go 
for  a  month  with  him  under  an  American  landscape 
artist,  Mr.  Scott,  now  a  professor  in  one  of  the  leading 
art  schools  in  Paris.  He  did  so  and  reaped  considerable 
benefit  from  even  this  brief  instruction.  The  next  spring 
and  summer  he  studied  landscapes  under  Albert  Rigolot, 
a  noted  French  artist,  who  was  a  student  under  Pallou, 
one  of  Corot's  favorite  pupils. 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  work  he  took  some  of  his 
studies  of  the  country  for  criticism  to  his  old  professor, 
Constant.  The  master  accorded  him  high  praise  and  bade 
him  strike  out  for  himself,  avoiding  all  ruts,  and  he  would 
make  a  great  artist. 

Returning  to  Salt  Lake  City  from  January  to  April, 


The  Artists  and  Sculptors  of  Utah      297 

1894,  he  assisted  in  decorating  some  of  the  rooms  in  the 
Salt  Lake  Temple.  At  the  Utah  State  Fair  of  that  year 
Mr.  Fairbanks  took  the  first  prize  for  the  best  landscape 
painting. 

In  1900  and  1901  he  accompanied  an  exploration  expe- 
dition through  southern  Utah,  Arizona,  Mexico,  Central 
America,  and  into  South  America,  as  artist  and  photo- 
grapher. When  in  Mexico  City  he  made  a  number  of 
paintings  and  sketches.  In  Santa  Marta,  South  America, 
he  made  a  careful  study  of  the  ocean  and  drew  many 
sketches  from  which  he  afterwards  produced  some  excel- 
lent marine  scenes. 

On  returning  from  South  America  Mr.  Fairbanks  came 
by  way  of  New  York,  and  here  he  was  so  attracted  by  the 
opportunities  afforded  that  he  returned  in  1902  and  prac- 
tically spent  four  years  in  the  metropolis,  studying,  sketch- 
ing up  the  Hudson  River  and  elsewhere,  and  copying  some 
of  the  masterpieces  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum.  It  was 
while  here  he  made  the  copy  of  Rosa  Bonheur's  "  Horse 
Fair,"  which  now  occupies  an  honored  position  in  the 
rooms  of  the  Provo  Commercial  Club.  One  of  his  orig- 
inal paintings,  "  Ships  That  Pass  in  the  Night,"  was 
accepted  in  the  exhibition  of  the  National  Academy  of 
Design;  and  in  other  exhibitions  he  was  represented. 

In  1914  Mr.  Fairbanks  and  his  son  Avard  went  to 
Paris,  France,  stopping  in  Chicago,  New  York,  Bos- 
ton, Liverpool  and  London,  visiting  artist  friends  and 
museums.  While  in  New  York  Avard  modeled  a  portrait 
of  a  child  playing  with  a  book.  His  father  thought  so 
well  of  it  that  he  sent  it  to  the  Paris  Salon,  where  it 
was  exhibited. 

Mr.  Fairbanks  and  his  son  arrived  in  Paris  May  ist. 
Mr.  Fairbanks  entered  a  night  school  to  brush  up  on  his 
drawing  and  during  the  day-time  worked  in  his  studio  or 
sketched  in  the  country  and  in  the  parks.  Avard  entered 
the  Ecolc  des  Beaux  Arts,  photographs  of  his  work  being 


298       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

sufficient  recommendation  to  gain  admittance  for  him. 

When  the  war  broke  out  the  two  artists  were  in  the 
country  bordering  Switzerland.  The  war  cut  short  their 
study  in  France  and  they  returned  to  America. 

In  191 7  Mr.  Fairbanks  went  to  Little  Zion  Canyon, 
now  Zion  National  Park.  It  was  then  just  merging  into 
popularity.  He  has  now  spent  four  summers  there,  mak- 
ing careful  study  of  colors  and  forms,  selecting  the  very 
best  subjects  and  the  very  best  time  of  day  for  his  work. 
His  paintings  are  true  to  nature,  their  originals  having 
been  studied  day  after  day  at  the  same  hours  and  under 
the  same  climatic  conditions.  They  are  becoming  very 
I)opular  with  people  who  have  visited  the  canyon.  Dr. 
G.  W.  Middleton  has  one  of  the  best  paintings  of  this 
series,  "  The  Great  White  Throne."  Another,  "  The 
Temple  of  the  Sun,"  hangs  in  the  home  of  the  Commer- 
cial Club  in  Salt  Lake  City.  Another  is  "  The  Angel's 
Landing  "  and  "  Hixe's  Point  in  Early  Morning."  Dr. 
Leonard  of  Denver  has  another,  "  El  Gubenadore." 

During  the  summer  of  1920  Mr.  Fairbanks  went  to 
Bryce  Canyon  and  made  careful  studies,  from  which  he 
produced  what  he  considers  some  of  his  best  productions. 

Mr.  Fairbanks  has  exhibited  at  Omaha  (World's  Fair), 
also  in  several  New  York  exhibitions,  including  that  of 
the  National  Academy  of  Design,  also  in  Boston.  He 
was  vice-president  of  the  Utah  Art  Institute  when  It  was 
created  and  author  of  a  bill  that  brought  the  institute 
$1,000.00  per  year  for  the  purchase  of  art  works.  At 
the  Utah  State  Fair  in  1920  he  received  the  first  prize  for 
marine  painting  and  second  and  third  for  his  landscapes, 
and  elsewhere  his  paintings  have  been  especially  honored. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Artist's  Association 
of  Paris,  the  Society  of  Utah  Artists,  and  the  American 
Federation  of  Arts. 

The  influence  Utah  has  had  on  artists  who  have  been 
merely  temporary  sojourners  within  her  borders  is  well 


CYRUS    E.    DALLIN,    SCULPTOR. 


The  Artists  and  Sculptors  of  Utah      299 

evidenced  by  some  of  the  master  paintings  reproduced  in 
government  publications  of  an  early  day.  Then,  too,  later 
artists  are  attracted  by  the  splendor  of  the  scenes  offered, 
and  one  of  the  reproductions  of  a  Zion  Canyon  painting 
is  by  an  artist  of  this  class.  This  is  Orion  Putnam's  strik- 
ingly vivid  and  colorful  "  Angel's  Landing,"  which 
gives  a  general  view  of  the  splendor  of  the  canyon  when 
the  color  effects  are  most  powerful.  Mr.  Putnam  for 
many  years  has  been  the  artistic  head  of  the  photographic 
firm  known  as  The  Putnam  Studios,  in  Los  Angeles,  but 
for  several  years  past  he  has  largely  devoted  himself  to 
work  with  the  brush  and  with  admirable  results. 

UTAH  SCULPTORS 

Whence  comes  the  art  instinct?  What  is  it  that  seizes 
some  men,  youths,  boys,  (and  those  of  the  other  sex) 
and  urges  them  to  mould  clay  into  the  likeness  of  living 
things;  to  take  canvas  and  depict  thereon  the  scenes  that 
have  thrilled,  pleased,  delighted  them?  Are  art-instincts 
"holdovers  "  from  an  earlier  existence?  Does  one  have 
to  have  a  prior  training  in  the  refinements  of  life,  the 
fundamentals  of  esthetics  ere  he  is  subject  to  the 
art  impulse  ? 

These  and  a  hundred  other  questions  will  assert  them- 
selves when  one  talks  about  Cyrus  Edwin  Dallin,  the  now 
famous  sculptor,  with  C.  H.  Blanchard,  of  Salt  Lake  City, 
the  man  who  first  noted  his  artistic  ability.  Dallin  was  a 
rude  miner.  Born  of  English  parents  at  Springville, 
Utah,  at  the  foot  of  the  noble  Wasatch  range  of  moun- 
tains, November  22,  1861,  he  seemed  destined  for  the 
ordinary  life  of  the  western  boys  of  his  time.  Money  was 
scarce,  labor  urgent  and  plentiful,  the  struggle  for  exist- 
ence hard,  and  as  he  grew  up  seven  other  mouths  to  feed 
came  to  the  Dallin  nest.  Cyrus's  home  was  a  one-story 
log  cabin,  and  while  his  daily  food  was  rough  and  hearty, 
his  mind  and  soul  were  feasted  with  the  glories  and  beau- 


300      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

ties  of  one  of  the  most  majestic  ranges  on  this  conti- 
nent, stern  rocky  masses  towering  into  the  turquoise  blue 
of  the  Utah  sky,  crowned  with  dazzhng  snow  upon  which 
the  Utah  sun  brilHantly  shone,  the  steep  slopes  seamed 
with  wild  picturesque  canyons,  where  white-foamed 
streams  dashed  madly  to  the  plain,  and  the  foothills  of 
which  were  covered  with  a  brilliant  display  of  number- 
less wild  flowers.  Indians  were  numerous  in  those  days, 
and  after  their  summers  of  hunting,  fishing,  and  gather- 
ing of  pinion  nuts,  wild  grass  seeds  and  other  edibles  in 
the  mountains,  they  would  cluster  near  the  little  settle- 
ments in  the  valley  for  the  winter,  erect  their  rude 
"  wikiups  "  or  skin  and  brush  houses,  and  there  live  out 
their  simple  but  picturesque  lives. 

Was  the  growing  lad  influenced  by  these  sublime  and 
picturesque  environments?  Who  can  tell?  He  knows 
that  he  had  to  work  hard  enough  to  keep  mind  and  body 
busy.  Barefooted,  wearing  home-spun,  home-made, 
home-patched  clothes,  herding  cows  and  horses,  chopping 
and  sawing  firewood,  gathering  wild  berries,  digging 
sego  roots,  shooting  ducks  and  other  birds  for  the  family 
table,  he  could  not  have  been  picked  out  from  any  other 
of  the  thousand  and  one  active  boys  who  were  having 
like  experiences  all  over  Utah.  When  he  was  fourteen 
years  old  he  and  a  comrade  undertook  to  drive  a  wagon 
loaded  w-ith  produce  to  Alta,  a  silver  mining  camp,  forty 
miles  away,  in  Cottonwood  Canyon,  three  times  a  week. 
See  the  youngsters,  their  wagon  loaded,  horses  harnessed 
and  hitched  up  ready  to  start.  They  must  leave  in  the 
afternoon  so  as  to  get  their  load  to  market  as  quickly  after 
gathering  as  they  could.  After  driving  as  far  as  possible 
they  would  stop  and  make  camp,  feed  and  hobble  the 
horses,  roll  out  their  blankets  on  the  ground,  stretch  out 
and  sleep  under  the  stars  until  the  first  suggestion  of 
dawn,  then  up,  a  hasty  snack  before  the  tiny  camp-fire, 
harness  up  and  off  before  a  modern  watch  would  have 


The  Artists  and  Sculptors  of  Utah      301 


shown  the  hour  of  five.  Slowly  they  climbed  up  the  can- 
yon to  the  elevated  mining  camp,  with  the  elevated  name, 
unconsciously,  perhaps,  but,  nevertheless,  surely,  drinking 
in  the  beauty  of  the  passing  scene,  and  then,  on  their 
arrival  about  noon  the  lads  sold  their  load,  rested  the 
horses  and  then  started  home  by  way  of  Granite.  For 
this  labor  they  received  fifty  cents  a  day,  and  though  the 
occupation  lasted  only  three  months  in  the  year  they  were 
glad  to  have  it. 

While  Cyrus  was  quite  a  lad  a  Rev.  Mr.  Leonard,  an 
old-fashioned  Presbyterian  minister,  came  to  Springville 
and  started  a  school.  He  had  a  natural  affection  for  boys, 
and  they  liked  him  and  were  not  afraid  of  him.  One  day 
he  discovered  that  Cyrus  had  an  aptitude  in  drawing  and 
from  that  time  on  he  fostered  the  desire  by  urging  him  to 
copy  certain  prints  that  he  had.  These  were  sent  to  Salt 
Lake  City  and  exhibited,  and  the  old  teacher  was  proud 
enough  of  his  pupil  to  secure  a  good  notice  of  the  lad's 
work  in  one  of  the  papers.  Then  it  was  desired  to  per- 
suade eastern  friends  to  provide  funds  for  a  new  school 
house,  and  to  aid  in  the  campaign  Mr.  Leonard  got  Cyrus 
to  make  a  drawing  of  the  old  adobe,  then  doing  service. 
And  for  this  he  received  pay,  the  first  paid  commission, 
and  how  proud  and  happy  it  made  him. 

Then,  when  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  and  his 
father  went  to  work  in  one  of  the  Tintic  mines,  of  which 
Mr.  C.  H.  Blanchard,  later  his  patron,  was  superintendent. 
This  was  the  important  step  that  led  to  the  change  in  his 
li  f e.  One  day,  while  the  miners  were  at  work,  some  chalky- 
looking  clay  turned  up.  When  lunch  time  came  Cyrus  got 
a  lump  of  it  and  enjoyed  himself  in  shaping  two  portrait 
busts  out  of  it.  His  rude  companions  looked  upon  him 
with  wonder,  for  the  work  was  striking  enough  to  arrest 
their  attention.  The  foreman  also  became  interested  and 
soon  the  fame  of  the  young  sculptor's  work  reached  the 
ears  of  Mr.  Blanchard.     When  the  lalter  saw  the  work 


302      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

his  Boston  trained  intellect  instinctively  recognized  genius. 
He  took  the  lad's  work  to  Salt  Lake  City  and  soon  inter- 
ested Joab  Lawrence  and  others  in  financing  the  budding 
genius  to  a  year  in  Truman  St.  Bartlett's  school  in  Bos- 
ton. Here  began  his  real  training.  He  worked  with  the 
day  class  and  his  first  attempt  was  on  the  head  of  a  tiger. 
How  swiftly  that  first  year  went,  and  how  carefully  he 
husbanded  the  little  cash  his  Utah  friends  had  provided 
him  with.  When  it  was  gone  there  was  no  repining,  no 
fault  finding,  but  resolutely  relying  upon  himself,  now 
that  he  had  found  his  feet,  he  went  to  work  at  a  terra 
cotta  factory,  moulding  pottery  and  sometimes  being 
cheered  with  an  order  to  work  on  graveyard  designs. 
Commercial  work  though  it  was,  it  gave  his  hands  greater 
strength  and  power  to  obey  the  dictates  of  his  mind,  and 
beside,  it  furnished  him  with  funds  to  continue  his 
beloved  studies.  Then,  in  1882,  he  found  his  wings  and 
resolved  to  fly.  He  took  a  studio  in  Boston  and  here  he 
worked  on  busts  and  living  models,  determined  to  tackle 
the  hardest  branch  of  his  art  and  master  it.  Those  were 
struggling  days,  but  as  Dallin  himself  said  in  a  recent 
conversation :  "  I  think  the  artist  who  never  tasted  the 
bitterness  of  hard  struggle,  has  never  felt  the  real  flavor 
of  success."  To  him  success  is  never  money.  The 
consciousness  of  seeing  one's  creations  work  out  into  the 
form  he  has  planned  them  brings  greater  joy,  and  if  the 
money  comes,  it  is  welcome  in  that  it  means  opportunity 
to  give  one's  life  more  completely  to  the  calling  in  which 
it  is  devoted.  Continuing,  he  said :  "  There  is  a  point 
in  every  artist's  progress  when  his  life  ceases  to  be  a 
continuous  struggle.  If  there  were  not,  the  world  would 
be  little  entitled  to  the  service  of  its  artists.  The  problem 
is  whether  one  can  successfully  fight  to  this  point,  or  is 
to  be  wrecked  in  the  adversities  around  him  before  he 
reaches  it,  finishing  his  life  as  a  derelict  instead  of  at 
anchor  in  a  permanent  success." 


The  Artists  and  Sculptors  of  Utah      303 

This  point  was  reached  in  Dallin's  own  life  when  the 
committee  of  Boston  citizens  determined  upon  an  unique 
competition  for  a  statue  to  commemorate  the  ride  of  Paul 
Revere.  It  was  unique  in  that  they  secured  a  board  of 
eminent  sculptors  to  determine  who  should  be  invited  to 
compete.  These  competitors  then  were  to  be  paid  for  the 
time  spent  and  the  material  put  into  their  work.  After 
that,  the  three  most  successful  were  again  to  compete  for 
the  honor  of  making  the  model  from  which  the  statue 
would  be  erected.  Dallin  was  one  of  those  chosen  to  com- 
pete, and  in  the  first  trial  he,  D.  C.  French  and  James  E. 
Kelly,  the  latter  both  of  New  York,  were  successful,  and 
in  the  next  attempt  his  model  was  the  one  chosen.  This 
was  the  sculptor's  entrance  to  the  golden  pathway  of  suc- 
cess. Strange  to  say,  however,  the  statue  has  not  yet 
been  erected.  While  there  was  much  enthusiasm  at  the 
time  the  competition  was  started,  the  funds  needed  did 
not  materialize  and  the  matter  is  still  in  abeyance.  But  it 
has  answered  its  allotted  purpose  in  Cyrus  Dallin's  life, 
and  from  that  time  on  he  has  held  foremost  place  in  the 
rank  of  leading  American  sculptors.  He  has  received  the 
following  honors:  Gold  Medal,  American  Art  Associa- 
tion, New  York,  1888;  Honorable  Mention,  Paris  Salon, 
1890;  First  Class  Medal  and  Diploma,  World's  Colum- 
bian Exposition ;  Silver  Medals,  Massachusetts  Charitable 
Mechanical  Association,  Boston,  1895;  Paris  Exposition, 
1900;  Pan  American  Exposition,  1901 ;  Gold  Medal. 
St.  Louis  Exposition,  1904;  First  Prize  in  competion  for 
Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Monument,  Syracuse,  1906.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Society  of  Arts,  London;  National 
Sculpture  Society,  Architectural  League,  New  York; 
St.  Botolph's  Club,  Boston.  His  principal  works  are 
Signal  of  Peace,  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  Pioneer  Monument, 
Salt  Lake  City,  Angel  for  Salt  Lake  Temple,  Don  Quix- 
ote, Apollo  and  Hyacinthus,  Medicine  Man,  The  Clergy- 


04       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 


man,  and  his  latest  is  a  heroic  statue  of  Ann  Hutchinson, 
for  the  Boston  State  Capitol. 

After  his  success  in  the  Paul  Revere  competition  he 
worked  hard,  and  finally  turned  his  attention  to  Indian 
figures  in  which  he  has  proven  himself  a  master.  How 
well  I  remember  the  powerful  impression  made  upon  me 
at  the  first  sight  of  his  "  Signal  of  Peace."  Half  a  life- 
time spent  in  contact  with  Indians,  riding  their  wild  mus- 
tangs, familiarizing  myself  with  their  customs  gave  me 
a  critical  knowledge  of  them  that  enabled  me  properly  to 
estimate  the  masterly  character  of  the  work,  and  the  first 
impression  of  genius  thus  received,  has  grown  as  "  The 
Protest,"  "  The  Medicine  Man,"  and  other  figures  have 
materialized  from  his  fertile  brain.  His  latest  master- 
piece is  of  Ann  Hutchinson,  the  famous  Puritan  of  New 
England.  The  sculptor  has  seized  and  immortalized  that 
moment,  when,  after  receiving  the  banishment  order  by 
the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts,  she  lifts  her  eyes  to 
heaven  and  exclaims :  "  It  is  better  to  be  banished  from 
the  church  than  to  deny  Christ."  Her  left  arm  clasps  a 
Bible  to  her  breast,  and  her  right  hand  rests  protectingly 
upon  the  shoulder  of  her  little  daughter  who  is  clinging 
to  her  gown.  Both  are  dressed  in  the  Puritan  costume  of 
the  time. 

Dallin  is  yet  a  young  man.  He  is  in  the  heyday  of  his 
power.  The  West,  Utah,  is  proud  of  him,  but  it  confi- 
dently looks  for  many  even  more  masterly  products  from 
his  hands  and  brain. 

The  couchant  lion  on  the  Lion  House  was  the  work 
of  George  Ward,  a  sculptor,  who  came  to  Salt  Lake  City 
about  1852-3.  He  remained  but  a  few  years  and  then 
returned  to  the  East. 

The  masterly  work  of  Mahonri  Young  has  already 
been  referred  to  in  the  chapters  on  Salt  Lake  City, 
Irrigation,  and  Dr.  Plummcr.  I  regret  that  I  cannot  give 
more  in  detail  the  work  of  his  life. 


MEDICINE    MAN  " BY    CYRUS    E.    DALLIN. 


The  Artists  and  Sculptors  of  Utah       305 

Another  of  Utah's  boys  who  has  made  a  notable  name 
for  himself  as  a  sculptor  is  Melvin  Earl  Cummings.  He 
was  born  in  Salt  Lake  City,  August  13,  1876.  On  both 
sides  of  the  family  his  ancestors  were  prominent  in  Mor- 
mon circles.  He  began  his  career  as  a  sculptor  at  a  very 
early  age,  using  a  button-hook  to  chip  edges  off  the 
granite  of  Brigham  Young's  tombstone  to  sell  to  tourists. 
As  Mr.  Cummings  now  holds  the  honored  and  dignified 
position  of  Professor  of  Sculpture  in  the  University  of 
California  it  may  be  "  giving  him  away  "  to  tell  this  story 
of  his  artistic  beginnings,  but  that  it  is  true  there  is  no 
doubt  as  he  and  his  friends  often  joke  about  it.  After 
receiving  the  usual  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Salt 
Lake  City,  he  took  a  course  in  the  Agricultural  College  in 
Logan,  and  then  spent  a  year  in  his  father's  bank,  who, 
for  many  years  was  the  highly  esteemed  treasurer  of  the 
city.  But  he  was  not  destined  for  a  commercial  life. 
About  this  time  there  arose  somewhat  of  a  "  craze  "  for 
wood-carving;  and  he  thought  it  would  be  well  to  learn 
the  art,  hence,  from  the  time  Tie  was  fifteen  until  he  was 
nineteen,  he  worked  pretty  steadily,  gaining  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  fundamentals  of  this  branch  of  artistic 
endeavor. 

Then  his  parents  allowed  him  to  enter  the  Hopkins 
Institute  of  Art,  in  San  Francisco,  where  for  three  years 
he  devoted  himself  seriously  to  sculpture.  Here  he  made 
such  rapid  progress  as  to  win  several  scholarships,  and 
he  thus  came  prominently  into  the  eye  of  the  university 
regents.  One  of  them  introduced  him  to  that  philan- 
thropic and  beneficent  patron  of  rising  artists,  Mrs. 
Phoebe  Hearst.  She  was  so  pleased  with  the  youth's 
advancement,  which  seemed  to  her  full  of  promise,  that 
she  sent  Mr.  Cummings  to  Paris,  and  for  three  years 
kept  him  there,  while  he  studied  in  L'Ecole  des  Beaux 
Arts,  and  under  such  masters  as  Massiet  and  Louis  Noel. 
Each  year  his  productions  were  accepted  and  exhibited  in 


300       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

the  salon,  one  of  his  choicest  pieces  being  a  portrait  bust 
of  the  daughter  of  Judge  Dixon. 

On  his  return  to  San  Francisco  he  opened  a  studio,  and 
was  soon  commissioned  to  design  a  fountain  for  Golden 
Gate  Park.  This  was  accepted.  It  represents  a  boy  play- 
ing with  a  tortoise  and  occupies  a  striking  place  in  front  of 
the  conservatory.  Then  the  Scottish  Society,  desirous  of 
placing  a  statue  of  their  beloved  poet,  Robert  Burns,  in 
the  park,  called  upon  him  to  create  it.  This  figure  has 
received  many  words  of  high  praise  from  world-travelers, 
and  is  a  common  rendezvous  for  those  who  visit  the  park 
from  the  land  of  heather.  Others  of  Mr.  Cummings' 
public  works  are  a  fountain,  representing  an  old  man 
drinking  out  of  his  hands,  located  in  Washington  Square; 
a  Sun  Dial,  erected  for  the  Colonial  Dames,  near  to  the 
museum,  in  Golden  Gate  Park;  and  a  monument  to 
Reuben  Lloyd,  one  of  San  Francisco's  prominent  attor- 
neys, also  in  the  park.  His  latest  work  is  another  foun- 
tain, which  was  recently  placed  in  front  of  the  new 
museum. 

At  the  Panama-Pacific  Exposition,  in  191 5,  his  "Pool 
of  Enchantment,"  where  two  pumas  crouched  absolutely 
fascinated  and  tamed  by  the  piping  of  an  Indian  boy,  was 
regarded  as  one  of  the  notable  marbles  exhibited.  Then, 
too,  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that  when  it  was  desired 
to  build  a  monument  at  the  Presidio  of  Monterey  in  honor 
of  Commodore  Sloat  —  who  seized  California  for  the 
United  States  —  in  the  public  competition  which  ensued, 
when  thirty-five  models  were  submitted,  the  committee 
unanimously  chose  Mr.  Cummings'  model.  It  is  in  the 
form  of  a  granite  pyramid,  upon  which  is  a  portrait  of 
Sloat  in  relief,  the  whole  surmounted  by  a  large  eagle. 
In  1897-8  he  displayed  at  the  Bohemian  Club,  San  Fran- 
cisco, of  which  he  has  long  been  a  member,  a  strongly 
attractive  figure  in  plaster  of  a  nude  boy  seated  on  a  globe. 
This  received  so  many  plaudits  from  the  members,  that 


The  Artists  and  Sculptors  of  Utah       307 

they  finally  decided  to  have  it  reproduced  in  bronze,  and 
it  now  occupies  an  honored  position  in  the  reception  room 
of  the  world-famous  club. 

In  1904  the  Mayor  of  San  Francisco  appointed  him  as 
the  artist  member  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of 
Golden  Gate  Park,  and  though  there  have  been  several 
changes  of  administration  since  that  time,  each  one  has 
honored  him  by  asking  him  to  remain  on  the  board.  And 
in  192 1  he  completes  his  fifteenth  year  as  Professor 
of  Sculpture  of  the  University  of  California,  a  position 
he  has  filled  with  honor  and  credit  alike  to  the  university 
and  himself  and  to  the  rapid  advancement  of  those  stud- 
ents who  have  placed  themselves  under  his  artistic 
direction. 

Professor  Cummings  is  now  at  work  on  an  equestrian 
statue  of  General  Richard  W.  Young,  for  Salt  Lake  City, 
and  a  memorial  to  the  late  Dennett  C.  Sullivan  of 
San  Francisco. 


CHAPTER  XXI 


SALT  LAKE  CITY 


Salt  Lake  City  is  one  of  the  unique  cities  of  the  Amer- 
ican continent,  indeed  of  the  world.  Benares,  Amritsar, 
Mecca,  Rome  do  not  mean  more  to  the  devotees  of  the 
religions  that  fixed  their  headquarters  in  them  than  does 
Salt  Lake  City  to  the  devout  Mormon.  Within  its  pre- 
cincts are  found  the  chief  temple  for  his  induction  into 
the  mysteries  of  his  faith,  and  the  large  tabernacle  in 
which  to  worship.  Hitherward  he  sends  his  tithes,  and  td 
his  leaders,  here  resident,  he  looks  for  counsel  and  direc- 
tion in  matters  pertaining  to  his  church  membership,  both 
as  to  temporal  and  spiritual  duties. 

It  is  unique,  also,  in  its  remarkable  history,  and  that  in 
its  "  laying  out "  it  bears,  and  will  forever  bear,  the 
impress  of  the  one  master-mind  that  operated  at  its  found- 
ing. What  faith  he  possessed !  What  foresight  he 
revealed!  How  faith  and  foresight  clasped  hands  with 
beauty  and  utility  and  laid  out  those  streets  that  are  the 
perpetual  delight  of  the  residents  and  a  source  of  equal 
though  ephemeral  pleasure  to  its  thousands  of  annual  vis- 
itors, is  now  known  to  the  world. 

Early  day  travelers  from  Europe  attracted  to  Salt  Lake 
City  by  the  peculiar  tenets  of  Mormonism,  as  well  as 
those  of  our  own  land,  were  unanimous  in  their  praise  of 
the  location  of  this  city.  Scores  of  quotations  might  be 
given,  indeed,  enough  to  fill  up  this  whole  volume,  so,  it 
must  be  confessed  that  it  is  attractive.  Nestling  in  a  curve 
of  the  great  Wasatch  range  which  protects  it  from  the 
fierce  winds  of  the  north  and  the  east,  it  practically  rises 

308 


Salt  Lake  City  309 


on  uneven  benches  or  natural  terraces  from  the  level  of 
the  great  lake.  Looked  at  from  the  shores  of  the  lake,  or, 
on  a  clear  day,  from  the  slopes  of  the  Oquirrh  range  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  lake,  it  is  a  city  to  provoke  excla- 
mations of  delight.  It  is  equally  interesting  and  beautiful, 
though  the  scene  presented  is  of  an  entirely  different 
character,  when  viewed  from  Fort  Douglas,  or  from  the 
University  campus.  Seen  from  any  standpoint  the  Great 
Salt  Lake  dominates  the  landscape.  Its  pure  blue,  when 
it  is  calm  and  quiet,  reflects  the  floating  glory  of  the  dazz- 
ling clouds  of  the  sky,  or,  when  the  atmosphere  is  murky 
its  face  is  leaden  and  sullen,  and  again,  when  the  winds 
blow,  white-capped  waves  dance  and  glitter,  swell  and  roll 
and  give  it  quite  a  dififerent  appearance. 

Look  at  the  city  now  from  the  shores  of  the  lake.  Let 
the  view  be  taken  late  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  wester- 
ing sun  is  shooting  its  brilliant  rays  toward  the  east. 
Salt  Lake  City  is  essentially  a  garden  or  tree-bowered  city, 
hence  everything  we  see  is  in  happy  combination  and  con- 
trast to  the  rich  foliage  which  is  found  everywhere.  From 
these  bosky  bases  rise  the  various  buildings  of  a  great  and 
prosperous  city.  Here  is  a  church,  with  its  towering  spire, 
there  an  equally  soaring  "sky-scraping"  office  building, 
streets  are  revealed  and  solitary  dwelling-houses.  To  the 
north-east  a  prominent  group  demands  the  eye,  and  we 
see  the  beetle-shaped  tabernacle,  the  near-by  soaring 
spires  of  the  granite  temple,  then  the  great  Hotel  Utah, 
followed  by  the  classic  office  building  of  the  L.  D.  S. 
Church.  Higher  up,  on  one  of  the  benches,  stands  the 
capitol,  a  classical  Greek  structure  of  majestic  proportions, 
proudly  typifying  the  glory  of  the  state.  Now  let  the  eye 
slowly  move  over  the  vast  panorama  towards  the  east  and 
south.  Buildings  everywhere,  tree-shaded  and  contrasted, 
homes  of  every  type,  many  of  them  new  and  modern,  rise 
on  the  benches  higher  and  higher,  even,  apparently,  to  the 
very  foot  of  the  range.    Now  the  University,  with  its  seV- 


;uo      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blosaoming  Valleys 

eral  fine  buildings  comes  into  view,  and  schools,  churches, 
office  buildings  surrounded  by  homes.  To  the  south  is 
the  stately  City  and  County  Building,  located  in  a  ravish- 
ingly  beautiful  park,  and  then  the  eye  wanders  out  to  the 
spaces  of  the  emerald  valley,  where  the  fertile  acres  extend 
for  miles  to  the  far  mountain  boundaries.  Here  and  there 
are  flashes  of  the  Jordan  River  and  Utah  Lake,  while  as  a 
fitting  background  for  the  whole  scene  are  the  towering 
walls  and  peaks  of  the  Wasatch  range,  which  rise  almost 
immediately  behind  the  city. 

When  the  point  of  outlook  is  reversed  and  one  stands 
at  Fort  Douglas  or  on  the  University  campus  the  glory 
of  the  city  is  just  as  great,  but  it  is  changed,  and  instead  of 
the  mountains  forming  an  immediate  background,  there 
are  the  meadows  that  lead  the  eye  to  the  great  lake,  then 
the  shimmering,  glistening  water,  Saltair  and  its  great 
pavilion  shining  like  a  jewel  upon  its  edge,  then  the  foot- 
hills, where  the  giant  smelters  at  Garfield  pour  out  their 
clouds  of  smoke,  and  as  a  semi-distant  western  boundary 
the  walls  and  peaks  of  the  Oquirrh  range. 

There  is  but  one  flaw  in  the  otherwise  perfect  picture 
and  location.  During  certain  times  in  the  year  when  the 
wind  is  in  a  certain  direction,  the  smoke  from  the  city's 
chimneys  seems  unable  to  escape  from  the  mountain 
pocket  in  which  the  city  is  located,  and  this  necessarily  is 
an  annoyance  and  disagreeable.  The  scientists,  however, 
are  working  upon  the  problem,  and  I  doubt  not  that  it  will 
ere  long  be  perfectly  solved. 

Immediately  upon  entering  the  streets  of  the  city  one  is 
impressed  by  their  width  and  parklike  arrangement.  They 
are  all  boulevards.  With  a  confidently  expansive  outlook 
for  the  future  Brigham  Young  laid  out  his  city  with  a  sci- 
entific wisdom  that  makes  it,  in  this  regard,  without  an 
equal  on  the  American  continent.  The  streets  are  all  one 
hundred  and  thirty-two  feet  wide  between  the  fence  lines. 
Twenty  feet  of  this,  on  each  side,  belong  to  the  sidewalk. 


Salt  Lake  City  311 


Many  of  the  streets  have  the  center  beautifully  parked, 
beds  of  gorgeous  flowers  and  green  lawns  attracting  the 
eye  on  the  level,  and  trees  affording  abundant  summer 
shade  overhead. 

Naturally  the  principal  business  streets  are  solidly 
paved  and  without  trees,  but  down  each  side  a  stream  of 
clear  mountain  water  runs  almost  continuously  in  the  gut- 
ter, and,  joy  unbounded  to  the  thirsty  thousands,  there  are 
bubbling  fountains  at  every  corner,  which  sing  of  melting 
snows,  tuneful  cataracts,  dashing  mountain  torrents, 
mountain  peaks  and  the  wonderful  freedom,  purity  and 
delicious  coolness  of  the  heights,  I  never  drink  as  much 
water  at  any  other  time,  as  I  do  when,  in  the  summer,  I 
happen  to  visit  Salt  Lake  City. 

The  most  attractive  quarter  of  the  city  to  the  visitor  is 
the  Temple  Block,  upon  which  towers  the  many  pinnacled 
temple  and  the  oval-topped  tabernacle.  The  temple  is  a 
most  impressive  building,  practically  alike  at  each  end, 
where  two  towers  occupy  the  corners  and  a  higher  tower 
dominates  the  center.  The  walls  of  the  main  building  are 
solidly  built,  semi-buttresses  making  the  frame-work  for 
the  high  windows.  The  structure  is  of  granite,  quarried 
from  the  Wasatch  mountains,  about  twenty  miles  south- 
east of  the  city.  The  site  is  still  pointed  out.  At  first 
the  huge  blocks  of  stone  were  brought  on  specially  con- 
structed carts,  drawn  by  four  yoke  of  oxen,  but  so  slowly 
did  they  travel  that  it  often  required  four  days  to  trans- 
port a  single  block.  Then  in  1873  a  railway  was  built  to 
the  quarry  and  this  expedited  the  work.  The  foundation 
walls  were  laid  less  than  six  years  after  the  first  pioneers 
reached  Salt  Lake.  They  were  sixteen  feet  wide  and  eight 
feet  deep.  The  building  was  to  be  one  hundred  eighty-six 
and  one-half  feet  long  by  ninety-nine  feet  wide,  and  its 
greatest  height  two  hundred  twenty-two  feet  to  the  top 
of  the  figure  which  surmounts  the  central  eastern  tower. 
Slowly  the  walls  arose,  varying  in  thickness  from  six  to 


312       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

nine  feet,  and  in  1893,  just  forty  years  after  the  work  was 
begun,  the  structure  was  declared  finished.  Great  were 
the  rejoicings  and  many  days  were  spent  in  its  dedication. 
Its  cost  is  said  to  have  been  about  $4,000,000. 

This  temple,  however,  unlike  the  cathedrals,  churches, 
synagogues  of  other  worshippers  is  not  a  place  of  public 
assembly  and  worship.  Though  visitors  were  allowed 
prior  to  the  chief  day  of  dedication,  April  6,  1893,  none 
have  been  permitted  to  enter  since.  It  is  a  building  espe- 
cially erected  for  the  performance  of  the  sacred  rites  of 
the  Mormon  Church,  to  which  none  but  the  faithful  are 
admitted.  Members  are  received,  marriages  take  place, 
also  baptisms  and  other  ordinances,  which  to  the  Mor- 
mons are  of  the  highest  importance.  Naturally  in  the 
earlier  days  of  Mormonism  there  were  many  so-called 
"  exposes  "  of  the  ceremonies  that  took  place  in  this  build- 
ing, and  some  writers  sought  to  travesty  them.  To  the 
unprejudiced  mind  there  is  nothing  to  excite  either  undue 
curiosity  or  ridicule.  Every  church  has  its  own  peculiar 
ceremonials  and  these  are  no  stranger  than  many  that  are 
performed  in  public  without  comment. 

In  the  same  grounds  are  the  Tabernacle  and  the  Assem- 
bly Hall,  the  former  being  one  of  the  famous  buildings  of 
the  world.  Its  history  is  most  interesting,  and  a  full 
account  of  it  has  been  written  by  my  friend.  Professor 
Levi  Edgar  Young,  of  the  State  University.  According 
to  him: 

"  The  Mormon  Tabernacle  at  Salt  Lake  City  is  indica- 
tive of  the  strength  of  character  and  religious  dreams  of 
the  Latter-day  Saints.  The  only  building  of  its  style  in 
the  world,  it  stands  out  as  unique  in  the  history  of  archi- 
tecture. While  its  massiveness  suggests  a  people  strong 
in  spirit,  conviction,  and  purpose,  its  lines  indicate  a  splen- 
did adaptation  of  scientific  principles  in  architecture.  The 
Tabernacle  is  a  perfect  ellipse,  with  two  foci,  which  partly 
account  for  the  good  acoustics  of  the  building.     A  plain, 


The  Temple  Grounds,  Salt  hake  City 

Showing  the  Temple  and  the  Tabernacle 


Salt  Lake  City  313 


egg-shaped  building,  studded  with  heavy  entrance  doors 
all  the  way  round  there  is  no  attempt  at  ornamentation  of 
any  kind,  and  yet  the  building  is  wonderful,  both  on  the 
exterior  as  well  as  in  the  interior,  and  is  an  example  of  the 
utilizing  of  the  resources  of  the  people  for  the  purpose  of 
elevating  their  intellectual  and  religious  idealism. 

"  The  Tabernacle  is  one  of  the  largest  auditoriums  in 
the  world,  and  seats  from  six  to  eight  thousand  people. 
It  is  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long  by  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  wide,  and  eighty  feet  in  height.  The  self-sup- 
porting roof  rests  upon  pillars  or  buttresses  of  red  sand- 
stone, which  are  from  ten  to  twelve  feet  apart  in  the  entire 
circumference  of  the  building.  These  buttresses  support 
great  wooden  arches,  which  span  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet.  The  arches  are  of  a  lattice  truss  construction,  and 
are  held  together  with  great  wooden  pegs  and  bindings  of 
cowhide.  On  the  interior  one  is  impressed  with  the  great 
vaulted  ceiling,  and  the  '  vastness  of  the  place  grows  upon 
one  and  inspires  one  with  mingled  feeling  of  solemnity 
and  admiration.'  " 

The  Tabernacle  occupies  the  site  of  the  old  Tabernacle, 
built  in  185 1-2,  and  this,  in  turn  took  the  place  of  the 
"  Bowery,"  a  primitive  structure  of  timbers  and  tree 
boughs,  temporarily  used  for  purposes  of  worship. 

"  It  was  in  1863  that  the  Tabernacle  was  begun.  The 
plan  of  the  building  was  due  to  President  Brigham  Young, 
William  H.  Folsom,  and  Henry  Grow. 

"  Mr.  Grow  had  a  unique  scheme  for  the  roof,  a  plan 
which  was  adopted  and  executed.  Some  few  years  before 
he  had  built  a  bridge  over  the  Jordan  River,  immediately 
west  of  the  city.  '  It  was  constructed  after  the  Reming- 
ton patent  of  lattice  bridges,  in  which  planking  and  pegs 
were  used.'  Mr.  Grow  was  a  bridge-builder  In  his  native 
state,  Pennsylvania,  and  had  constructed  many  bridges  of 
the  Remington  type.  On  coming  west,  he  obtained  per- 
mission from  the  inventor  to  use  the  idea  in  Utah,  and  it 


314       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

was  accepted  by  President  Young  as  the  one  practical 
theory  for  the  construction  of  the  new  house  of  worship. 
The  two  mechanics,  Grow  and  Folsom,  drew  the  plans  for 
the  building  which  will  ever  mark  them  as  geniuses  in  the 
profession  of  architecture. 

"  The  immense  roof,  which  is  the  principal  portion  of 
the  building,  rests  upon  forty-four  piers  of  cut  sandstone 
masonry,  each  nine  feet  from  the  outside  to  the  inside  of 
the  building,  three  feet  in  thickness,  and  twenty  feet  in 
height.  On  each  side  of  the  building  are  nine  pillars  in  a 
straight  line.  From  these  an  arch  of  forty-eight  feet  is 
sprung.  Thirteen  arches  spring  at  each  end  from  thirteen 
piers,  which  stand  on  a  circle.  The  height  from  the  floor 
to  the  ceiling,  in  the  center  of  the  building  is  seventy  feet. 
Between  the  ceiling  and  the  roof,  there  is  a  space  of  nine 
feet.  The  roof  is  framed  of  lattice-arched  beams,  twelve 
feet  from  center  to  center,  each  arch  converging  and 
meeting  at  the  highest  given  point  of  the  main  outside 
bents,  where  they  are  securely  fastened  with  cowhide  and 
wooden  pegs.  On  the  north  and  south  sides  are  thirty 
spaces  between  the  piers,  where  the  windows,  containing 
over  2,500  lights  of  glass,  are  placed.  In  twelve  of  the 
spaces  are  the  doors  opening  outward,  which  affords  ready 
egress  from  the  building.  There  are  four  small  doors  in 
the  west  end  of  the  building,  and  two  large  ones  in  the 
east  end,  leading  to  the  gallery. 

"  Above  the  piers  are  over  one  million  feet  of  timber  ; 
in  the  floor,  80,000  feet;  in  the  joists,  100,000  feet;  in  the 
sleepers,  30,000  feet;  in  the  doors,  stand,  benches,  and 
other  equipment,  290,000  feet;  in  the  aggregate,  1,500,000 
feet.  The  roof  was  originally  covered  with  nearly 
400,000  shingles,  but  these  were  replaced  in  1900  by  a 
metallic  covering  weighing  many  tons.  No  nails  were 
used  in  the  roof,  the  timbers  being  tied  in  places  with 
cowhide  and  held  together  with  wooden  pegs. 

"  At  first  there  was  no  gallery  in  the  building,  but  in 


Salt  Lake  City  315 


1870  the  large  gallery  was  built  around  the  entire  build- 
ing with  the  exception  of  where  the  choir  seats  are  placed. 
This  lessened  the  effect  of  vastness  in  the  building  as  well 
as  diminishing  the  apparent  height.  It  measures  three 
hundred  ninety-five  feet  from  one  end  to  the  other,  and  is 
thirty-two  feet  in  width.  Supported  by  seventy-two  col- 
umns, the  hnes  add  to  the  artistic  effect  of  the  building. 
The  gallery  will  seat  about  2,000  people.  With  the  finish- 
ing of  the  gallery,  the  acoustic  properties  were  improved, 
making  it  one  of  the  best  places  for  hearing  in  the  world. 
The  Tabernacle,  like  many  other  of  the  beautiful  build- 
ings in  Salt  Lake  City,  observes  the  laws  of  proportion 
and  purity  of  style.  Its  plainness  and  simplicity  are  the 
leading  characteristics,  and  show  that  the  men  who  had 
the  direction  of  its  building  were  great  mathematical  and 
constructive  artists." 

The  organ  has  an  equally  interesting  history.  Joseph  H. 
Ridges,  an  Englishman,  undertook  the  work,  with  selected 
associates,  who  knew  they  would  have  to  rely  entirely 
upon  native  products  for  construction.  Specimens  of 
wood  were  gathered  from  all  over  the  state  and  experi- 
mented with,  until  it  was  decided  that  the  best  material 
for  the  pipes  was  to  be  had  in  Pine  Valley  near  Parowan, 
three  hundred  miles  south  of  Salt  Lake  City. 

Work  was  begun  in  January,  1866,  and  it  was  com- 
pleted and  dedicated  in  October,  1867.  Several  times 
since  then  it  has  been  Improved  and  enlarged,  and  is 
known  to  the  musical  world  as  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
perfect  instruments  in  existence.  In  its  present  condition 
it  has  four  manuals  with  electric  action  to  every  part  of 
its  one  hundred  and  twelve  sets  of  pipes,  and  its  seven  dif- 
ferent organs  —  viz.,  great,  swell,  orchestral,  solo,  celes- 
tial, string  and  pedal. 

Its  organists  are  John  J.  McClellan,  and  his  two  assist- 
ants, Edward  P.  Kimball  and  Tracey  Y.  Cannon,  all  three 


31G       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 


natives  of  Utah,  but  master  musicians,  trained  in  the  best 
schools  of  this  country  and  Europe. 

Daily,  except  Sunday,  these  accomplished  performers 
sive  or^ran  recitals  for  the  benefit  of  the  thousands  of 
tourists  who  continually  keep  pouring  through  Salt  Lake 
City.  During  the  recitals,  in  order  that  there  be  no  inter- 
ference either  with  the  performer  or  the  listeners,  it  is  the 
rule  to  close  and  lock  the  doors. 

Apropos  of  this  habit,  a  funny  but  literally  true  inci- 
dent was  related  to  me.  A  number  of  tourists  came  at  the 
usual  hour  and  were  informed  that  the  recital  would  last 
so  long  and  that  the  doors  w^ould  be  closed  during  that 
period.  Half-way  through  the  performance  two  ladies 
arose  and  endeavored  to  go  out.  Had  the  sacristan  been 
at  hand  all  would  have  been  well,  and  the  doors  would 
have  been  opened.  But,  unfortunately,  he  had  gone 
away  for  other  duties.  The  ladies  tried  one  door,  then 
three  or  four  others  in  succession,  and  failing  in  all  alike, 
one  of  them  burst  out  with  a  piercing  shriek,  while  the 
other  screamed  :  "  The  doors  are  locked !  The  doors  arc- 
locked  !"  Immediately  the  whole  audience  was  seized  with 
panic  —  fortunately  it  was  not  a  very  large  one  —  and 
rushed  down  stairs.  Such  was  their  instant  dread  and 
foolish  terror  that  they  battered  down  the  door  before  it 
could  be  opened. 

Later,  when  one  of  them  was  remonstrated  with  about 
his  yielding  to  such  a  foolish  panic  he  replied  :  *T  thought 
of  the  Mountain  Meadow  massacre  and  wasn't  going  to 
take  any  chances  with  those  fellows." 

Evidently  in  his  case  music  did  not  have  a  soothing 
effect.  Yet  thousands  have  borne  tribute  to  the  wonderful 
quality  of  the  organ,  in  its  power  to  evoke  every  emotion, 
when  manipulated  by  one  who  is  its  master. 

The  organ,  however,  is  but  an  aid  to  the  more  import- 
ant feature  of  public  worship,  viz.,  the  human  voice.  Mor- 
mons believe   in  congregational   singing,   and   they   sing 


THE    SEA-GULL    MONUMENT,    IN    THE    TEMPLE   GROUNDS, 

SALT    LAKE    CITY. 


Salt  Lake  City  317 


heartily,  but  they  also  believe  in  having  an  excellent  and 
well-trained  choir  to  lead  them.  Such  a  choir  the  Taber- 
nacle has  had  ever  since  it  was  erected.  Noted  men  have 
been  its  leaders,  men  whose  musical  ability  and  knowledge 
gave  them  power  when  they  wielded  the  baton.  It  has 
been  my  pleasure  to  hear  this  choir  many  times,  under  sev- 
eral of  its  noted  leaders.  One  of  these,  who  is  still  alive, 
and  who  composed  and  conducted  at  the  Centennial  Cele- 
bration in  1920  the  sacred  cantata  entitled  The  Vision, 
commemorative  of  the  visitation  of  the  Father  and  the 
Son  to  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  in  1820,  is  Evan 
Stephens,  gained  world-wide  fame  as  a  conductor  of 
great  choruses.  It  was  he  who  took  the  Mormon  Taber- 
nacle Choir  to  the  Chicago  Exposition  in  1893.  Joseph 
Daynes  was  his  organist.  To  merely  name  the  leaders  and 
organists  of  the  past  would  be  to  call  the  roll  of  many 
names  famous  in  the  musical  world.  The  present  director 
is  Professor  Anthony  C.  Lund,  the  son  of  the  late 
Anthony  H.  Lund,  who  was  one  of  the  First  Presidency. 

There  is  another  building  for  worship  in  the  Temple 
Block  known  as  the  Assembly  Hall.  It  is  a  semi-Gothic 
structure  capable  of  seating  2,500  and  is  used  when  the 
Tabernacle  would  be  larger  than  necessary. 

Near  to  this  hall  is  the  celebrated  Sea  Gull  Monument, 
by  Mahonri  Young,  a  grandson  of  Brigham  Young,  and 
erected  to  commemorate  the  wonderful  occurrence  related 
in  the  chapter  on  irrigation,  where  the  pioneers  were 
saved  from  a  plague  of  crickets  by  the  coming  of  the  gulls. 
There  are  four  bas-reliefs  at  the  base  of  the  monument 
descriptive  of  the  coming  of  the  pioneers  and  their  mirac- 
ulous deliverance,  and  the  column  is  surmounted  by  a 
strikingly  realistic  figure  of  a  flying  gull. 

There  are  also  two  life-size  statues  in  the  Temple 
grounds,  one  of  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  the  Mormon  prophet, 
and  the  other  of  his  brother  Hyrum. 

In  order  to  give   accurate  and  adequate  information 


318       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

about  Mormonism,  Salt  Lake  City  and  Utah  in  general,  a 
Bureau  of  Information  has  been  installed,  where  literature 
of  all  sections  may  be  found,  and  tourists  and  home- 
seekers  given  the  guidance  they  need. 

Across  the  way  from  the  Temple  Block  is  the  magnif- 
icent and  stately  Hotel  Utah.  There  are  no  hotel  struc- 
tures between  Chicago  and  the  Pacific  Slope  that  surpass, 
and  few  that  equal  it.  It  is  fire-proof  and  modern  in  every 
respect,  with  five  hundred  guest  rooms,  and  adequate  ban- 
quet-halls, ballrooms,  committee  rooms  for  meetings,  con- 
ventions, etc.  It  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  over  two  mil- 
lion dollars  and  was  opened  in  June,  191 1.  If  Brigham 
Young  had  designed  this  location  for  the  majestic  "  hotel 
of  the  future,"  he  could  not  have  found  a  more  suitable 
place.  Directly  across  the  street  from  the  Temple  and 
Tabernacle,  next  door  to  the  Office  Building  of  the  Mor- 
mon Church,  at  the  head  of  the  chief  business  street  of  the 
city,  close  to  the  theatres,  and  at  a  junction  of  most  of  the 
street  cars,  it  is  convenient  and  easy  of  access.  Its  lobby 
is  spacious  and  attractive.  Worthy  of  especial  note  are 
three  of  H.  L.  A.  Culmer's  finest  paintings  —  pictures 
which  not  only  reveal  him  Utah's  finest  and  greatest 
painter,  but  give  the  traveler  some  idea  of  the  less-known 
portions  of  this  great  state.  The  Utah  has  been  under 
the  competent  management  of  George  O.  Relf  —  who  had 
made  a  great  reputation  in  Chicago  as  a  successful  hotel 
man  —  ever  since  its  opening. 

Surmounting  the  tower  of  this  superb  structure  is  a 
beehive,  the  state  emblem,  symbolizing  activity  and  indus- 
try. Nor  should  it  be  forgotten  that  Brigham  Young, 
when  harassed  by  outside  foes,  called  attention  to  the  fact 
that  while  bees  were  active  and  industrious,  they  could 
also  sting. 

Almost  adjoining  Hotel  Utah  is  the  Office  Building  of 
the  Mormon  Church.  Built  in  classic  Greek  style,  of  gran- 
ite gained  from  the  quarries  of  the  Wasatch  mountains,  it 


Salt  Lake  City  319 


is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  office  buildings  in  America, 
indeed  in  the  world.  And  its  interior  appointments  are 
as  perfect  as  is  its  exterior,  all  its  finishings  being  in  Utah 
marbles.  Here  all  the  general  officers  of  the  Church  may 
be  found,  including  the  president  and  his  counselors,  and 
here  also  is  the  Mormon  library.  This  includes  all  the 
written  and  published  histories  of  the  various  societies 
and  departments  of  the  Church,  as  well  as  books,  pamph- 
lets and  papers  issued  by  the  Mormons  themselves. 
Besides  this,  there  is  every  book  known  to  have  been  pub- 
lished on  Mormonism,  either  pro  or  con,  so  that  the  stu- 
dent may  look  upon  the  subject  from  as  many  angles  as 
there  have  been  writers. 

The  next  buildings  on  the  same  street  are  the  world- 
famous  Beehive  and  Lion  Houses,  the  latter  once  the  resi- 
dence of  Brigham  Young  and  his  family.  The  former  was 
built  at  an  early  day  in  Salt  Lake  City  history  and  is  a 
simple  structure,  its  lines  are  most  pleasing  and  archi- 
tecturally it  may  be  said  to  be  the  gem  of  all  that  Utah 
has  produced  in  this  line.  Later  presidents  have  occu- 
pied this  house  as  their  residence,  but  it  is  now  used  by 
departments  of  the  L.  D.  S.  University. 

At  the  end  of  the  block,  connecting  it  with  the  next 
block,  is  the  famous  Eagle  Gate.  The  bird  of  freedom, 
with  outspread  wings,  makes  a  striking  arch  to  the  portal, 
w^hich  used  to  lead  into  Brigham  Young's  private  grounds. 

Standing  at  the  head  of  Main  Street  is  the  Monument 
to  the  Pioneers.  It  represents  Brigham  Young  in  a  char- 
acteristic pose,  and  is  an  excellent  likeness  of  him  in  his 
prime.  It  is  of  bronze  with  a  pedestal  of  Utah  granite, 
and  is  the  work  of  Dallin,  whose  artistic  genius  is  else- 
where commented  upon  in  these  pages. 

To  attempt  to  describe  the  public  buildings,  churches, 
school  houses,  clubs,  hospitals,  hotels,  offices,  etc.,  of  Salt 
Lake  City  would  be  too  long  a  task.  Suffice  it  to  say  they 
are  worthy  the  capital  of  a  great  and  growing  state,  and 


?>-0      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

as  for  the  residences,  one  can  ride  for  hours  through 
streets  of  surpassing  loveHness,  where  stately,  palatial, 
dignified,  modest,  comfortable,  cozy  homes  are  em- 
bowered in  native  trees,  approached  by  emerald  lawns, 
and  surrounded  by  exquisitely  beautiful  and  gorgeous 
flowers  of  every  hue. 

One  store  of  more  than  general  interest,  must,  how- 
ever, be  referred  to.  This  is  the  building  on  Main  and 
South  Temple  Streets,  bearing  the  inscription,  Z.  C.  M.  I. 
This  is  the  legend  of  the  Zion's  Cooperative  Mercantile 
Institution,  organized  October  i6,  1868,  by  Brigham 
Young,  which  has  been  derided,  abused  and  lauded  about 
equally.  Its  avowed  purpose  was  to  give  to  Mormons  the 
benefit  of  cooperative  trading,  and  now  there  are  over  a 
huiidred  similar  stores  located  throughout  the  state,  owned 
locally  by  the  people,  but  mainly  drawing  their  supplies 
from  the  parent  institution.  Connected  with  the  letters, 
Z.  C.  M.  I.,  are  generally  to  be  found  the  All-Seeing  Eye 
and  the  biblical  exhortation,  "  Holiness  to  the  Lord." 

Perched  on  the  foothills,  on  a  most  commanding  site 
overlooking  the  city,  is  Fort  Douglas,  established  in  the 
early  days  of  Utah  history,  when  antagonism  between  the 
territorial  and  federal  governments  was  feared.  During 
the  late  war  it  was  utilized  as  a  great  military  post,  and 
here,  too,  many  alien  prisoners  were  confined.  It  has  a 
fine  water  supply,  sufficient  for  over  5,000  men,  and  the 
reservation  of  10,000  acres  gives  abundant  room  for  both 
infantry  and  cavalry  manoeuvres.  It  is  one  of  the  chief 
points  of  interest  of  the  city,  not  only  for  its  historic 
claims,  but  on  account  of  the  remarkable  view  of  the  city, 
the  Great  Salt  Lake,  and  the  surrounding  country  which 
it  affords. 

The  city  has  several  parks,  Liberty  Park  being  the 
chief,  where  the  citizens  congregate  by  the  thousands  to 
enjoy  the  amusements  provided  in  the  cool  summer  eve- 
ning air.    There  are  many  mountain  resorts  of  easy  access, 


Salt  Lake  City  321 


and  Lagoon,  north  of  the  city,  and  Wandamerc,  at  the 
southern  edge,  are  popular  resorts.  But  transcending 
them  all,  and  known  all  over  the  world  to  travelers,  is 
Saltair,  a  pleasure  resort,  built  on  the  Great  Salt  Lake. 
Here,  literally  millions  of  people  have  come  to  enjoy  bath- 
ing in  the  remarkably  buoyant  waters  of  the  lake.  No 
one  can  sink  in  them,  though  it  is  well  to  avoid  swallow- 
ing the  least  quantity  of  the  water,  owing  to  its  salt  and 
bitter  qualities. 

The  main  hall  is  of  Moorish  design  and  is  one  of  the 
largest  dancing  pavilions  and  roller  skating  rinks  of  the 
continent,  and  in  the  dining  room  a  thousand  people  are 
easily  accommodated  at  one  sitting. 

It  was  my  pleasure  to  be  present  at  rather  a  unique 
gathering  in  the  great  pavilion  last  year.  It  appears  that, 
for  the  past  forty-four  years,  it  has  been  the  custom  of 
the  Mormon  Church  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  every  city  in 
Utah,  to  gather  together  from  every  ward  every  old  man 
or  woman  over  the  age  of  seventy,  regardless  of  creed, 
color,  race  or  previous  condition  of  servitude,  married, 
single,  religious  or  atheist,  and  give  them  a  day's  holiday 
at  some  suitable  and  chosen  place.  And  this  gathering 
together  is  no  perfunctory  affair.  In  every  ward  certain 
officials  of  the  Church  are  charged  with  the  responsibility 
of  listing  those  entitled  to  attend,  and  seeing  that  they  get 
to  the  point  of  meeting.  Those  over  seventy  wear  a  red 
badge,  over  eighty,  a  blue  one,  and  over  ninety  a  white  one. 
There  was  a  fair  scattering  of  blue  badges  and  but  a  few 
white  ones  in  the  vast  concourse  of  a  thousand  or  more 
red  ones  on  the  occasion  when  I  was  present.  Trainload 
after  trainload  began  to  leave  the  city  directly  after  break- 
fast, and  yet  when  I  took  the  cars  at  noon  there  were  still 
hundreds  to  be  conveyed.  On  our  arrival  at  the  pavilion 
the  tables  were  spread  —  absolutely  laden  with  good 
things  to  eat,  including  California  cantaloupes,  Utah 
plums  and  cherries,  and  several  soft  drinkables.     Flowers 


i'22      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 


galore  adorned  the  scene,  the  fine  Saltair  orchestra  dis- 
coursed sweet  music,  and  flags  and  bunting  added  their 
gaiety  to  the  scene.  There  was  no  confusion.  Each  ward 
had  its  tables,  designated  by  large  signs,  and  here  active, 
vigorous,  motherly  women  w^aited  upon  their  guests,  saw 
that  they  had  abundance  and  were  made  to  feel  perfectly 
at  home.  As  soon  as  my  presence  was  known,  a  half  a 
score  cordial  invitations  were  extended,  so  that  when, 
later,  I  was  invited  to  the  platform  to  see  the  assembled 
audience,  I  was  full  of  good  things.  Standing  on  the  plat- 
form looking  over  that  vast  sea  of,  at  least,  two  thousand 
faces,  most  of  them  over  seventy  years  of  age,  I  felt  the 
pathos  of  much  of  their  past  history.  Here  were  revealed 
in  gnarled  and  seamed  faces  the  sufferings,  the  hardships 
of  the  long-ago  days  of  persecution,  the  weariness  of  the 
toilsome  journeyings  across  the  plains,  over  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  fording  of  dangerous  streams,  the  terror  by 
night  watching  and  waiting  for  the  attacks  of  hostile 
Indians,  the  endurance  of  sandstorms,  hail  and  rainstorms 
and  the  pitiless  snowstorms  of  winter.  And  the  struggles 
of  settlement  were  there,  the  wresting  of  the  pitiably 
insufficient  living  from  the  soil  in  those  first  days  of  pio- 
neering. Yet  now  all  were  joyous,  glad,  happy,  buoyant, 
thankful  for  their  successes  and  triumphs,  grateful  for 
all  they  had  passed  through  and  overcome,  and  buoyed  up 
by  a  very  real  faith  as  to  the  rewards  of  the  future. 

It  was  a  remarkably  interesting  gathering  and  one  from 
which  I  gained  many  and  interesting  stories,  which  would 
fill  pages  of  this  book.  For  instance,  one  dear  old  lady, 
nearly  toothless,  partly  blind  and  deaf,  came  to  me  and 
proudly  introduced  herself  as  one  of  the  hand-cart  bri- 
gade (whose  story  is  told  in  another  chapter).  She  her- 
self had  helped  push  a  hand-cart  from  the  Missouri 
River  to  Salt  Lake  City.  One  old  patriarch  was  with  the 
first  band  that  reached  the  new  Zion,  and  all  had  stories 


Salt  Lake  City  323 


that  emphatically  showed  the  change  that  fifty  years  has 
wrought  in  our  civilization  and  progress. 

One  member  of  the  audience  I  became  much  interested 
in,  I  was  informed  that  he  was  engaged  in  a  printing 
establishment,  and  had  many  books  bearing  on  early  Mor- 
mon history.  Accepting  his  invitation  to  look  over  his 
books  I  was  surprised  to  find  not  only  the  local  histories 
I  sought,  but  a  well-selected,  general  library,  all  in  excel- 
lent and  well-bound  editions,  of  over  three  thousand  vol- 
umes. And  this  love  for  good  books  I  found  was  by  no 
means  unusual  among  many  of  those  whose  income  would 
not  have  suggested  their  interest  in  gaining  a  library.  I 
merely  relate  this  as  one  of  the  many  surprising  and  inter- 
esting incidents  met  with  in  my  ramblings  in  and  about 
Salt  Lake  City. 

Taken  as  a  whole  it  is  one  of  the  fascinating  cities,  both 
in  its  history  and  in  itself,  in  our  western  world,  and  no 
traveler  should  ever  cross  the  continent  who  does  not  give 
himself  at  least  a  week  to  see  what  it  has  to  present. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

RAILWAYS  IN  UTAH 

The  first  railway  to  cross  Utah  was  the  Union  Pacific, 
built  in  that  great  epoch  of  railway  construction  which  fol- 
lowed the  Civil  War.  The  government  had  pledged  cer- 
tain great  bonuses  of  land  and  bonds  to  the  Union  Pacific 
and  the  Central  Pacific  Companies  according  to  the  mile- 
age built,  and  each  was  straining  every  nerve  —  the  one 
from  the  east  and  the  other  from  the  west  —  to  earn  as 
much  of  these  bonuses  as  possible.  It  was  a  conflict  of 
titans.  The  Central  Pacific  heads,  under  the  dominat- 
ing personality  of  the  actual  builder,  Charles  Crocker, 
imported  hundreds,  thousands,  of  Chinese  coolies  to  assist 
in  tunneling,  grading,  cutting,  dumping,  snow-shed  build- 
ing over  the  Sierras,  and  the  Union  Pacific  imported  all 
the  help  it  could  secure  from  the  east,  which  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  work  of  the  Mormons,  rapidly  pushed  the 
track-laying  westward.  As  the  two  ends  of  the  railway 
neared  each  other  the  struggle  became  more  tense  and 
fierce.  There  was  no  cessation  of  labor,  nights  or  Sun- 
days, continuous  shifts  of  workmen  kept  the  grade  con- 
tinually extending,  and  track-layers  followed  so  closely 
at  their  heels  that  they  almost  "  trod  upon  each  other." 
Finally  the  two  lines  met,  at  Promontory  Point,  Utah, 
where,  on  May  lo,  1869,  the  ceremony  of  driving  the  last 
spike  took  place.  This  was  made  the  occasion  of  Bret 
Harte's  poem,  in  which  the  two  engines,  that  of  the 
Union  Pacific  facing  west,  and  that  of  the  Central  Pacific 
facing  east,  talk  with  and  question  each  other. 

324 


Railways  in  Utah 325 

Brigham  Young,  though  for  some  reasons  preferring 
the  continued  isolatioi^B|gthe  Mormons,  was  statesman 
enough  to  reahze  the^^^^ advantage  a  trans-continental 
railway  would  be  to  them.  Accordingly  he  aided  it  in 
every  way  possible,  personally  building  many  miles  of  it, 
and  encouraging  his  people  to  help  forward  the  work. 
When  the  junction  was  made  none  were  more  enthusias- 
tic than  the  Mormons  and  joined  more  heartily  in  the 
festivities  that  celebrated  the  occasion.  Naturally  the 
next  step  was  to  connect  the  trans-continental  line  with 
Salt  Lake  City,  and  in  a  short  time  the  Utah  Central  Rail- 
way was  constructed  under  Brigham  Young's  direction. 

In  order  to  give  transportation  to  various  parts  of  the 
country,  especially  the  northwest,  several  short  lines  were 
built,  and  in  1890  all  were  consolidated  under  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Union  Pacific  Company  under  the  name  of 
the  Oregon  Short  Line.  The  Denver  and  Rio  Grande 
system  extended  its  main  line  from  Grand  Junction, 
Colorado,  to  Salt  Lake  City,  and  a  branch,  running  from 
Thistle  on  the  main  line,  and  known  as  the  Sanpete 
Branch,  was  constructed  to  Marysvale  in  the  south.  This 
branch  in  turn  had  several  small  feeders  built,  mainly  for 
the  transportation  of  coal  and  ore.  The  Western  Pacific, 
now  the  purchasers  of  the  Denver  and  Rio  Grande  sys- 
tem, was  started  in  1905,  as  an  extension  of  the  latter 
from  Salt  Lake  City  to  San  Francisco.  It  is  now  in  regu- 
lar operation. 

But  as  southern  California's  population  and  business 
facilities  increased,  and  the  mining  country  of  southern 
Nevada,  southern  and  central  Utah  came  to  the  front,  a 
new  railway  from  Los  Angeles  to  Salt  Lake  City,  by  a 
direct  route  became  a  necessity.  From  Salt  Lake  City  to 
Sacramento  by  the  Southern  Pacific  —  Ogden  Route  — 
is  780  miles;  from  Sacramento  to  Los  Angeles  is  445 
miles,  making  a  total  of  1,225  miles.  It  did  not  need 
Euclid  to  demonstrate  the  self-evident  proposition  that 


326       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

one  side  of  a  triangle  is  shorter  than  the  sum  of  its  other 
two  sides.  The  distance  from  Los  Angeles  to  Salt  Lake 
City  by  a  direct  route  —  the  third  side  of  the  triangle  — 
is  about  700  miles,  a  practical  saving  of  500  miles. 

Farsighted  men  had  seen  the  possibility  of  this  railway 
for  years,  and  early  in  the  modern  development  of 
Los  Angeles  (1888)  had  secured  a  charter  for  a  railway 
from  San  Pedro  to  Los  Angeles,  with  branches  to  Pasa- 
dena and  elsewhere,  and  had  named  it  the  Los  Angeles 
Terminal  Railway.  This  franchise  was  obtained  on  the 
understanding  that  the  Union  Pacific  was  preparing  to 
make  its  way  into  southern  California.  It  had  already 
demonstrated  its  intention  to  do  this  by  building  a  line 
southwest  from  Salt  Lake  City  to  Frisco,  about  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  miles,  and  it  was  subsequently  extended  to 
Uvada,  seventy-five  miles  further,  a  place  on  the  boundary 
line  between  Utah  and  Nevada.  Then  the  Union  Pacific 
fell  into  difficulties  and  nothing  was  done  until  about 
1900.  The  whole  country  had  suffered  a  period  of  finan- 
cial depression  and  railway  extensions  in  the  West  had 
largely  ceased.  But  Los  Angeles  was  growing  with  a 
rapidity  that  startled  the  world.  It  needed  coal  and  iron 
for  its  factories  and  manufacturing  industries.  It  wanted 
gold,  silver,  copper  and  other  minerals,  and  it  also  wanted 
an  outlet  for  its  growing  businesses.  Its  demands  became 
more  and  more  imperative,  but  conservative  bankers  and 
capitalists  refused  to  aid  another  railway  project  lest  it 
interfere  with  Southern  Pacific  and  Santa  Fe  securities, 
which  had  suffered  fearfully  in  sympathy  with  the  gener- 
ally prevalent  depression.  But  Mr.  T.  E.  Gibbon,  the 
vice-president  of  the  Terminal  Company,  who  had  fought 
some  sturdy  battles  side  by  side  with  Senator  Steve  White 
against  CoUis  P.  Huntington  for  the  establishment  of  the 
federal  harbor  at  San  Pedro  —  and  had  won  —  was  not 
to  be  daunted  by  the  attitude  of  the  eastern  money  market. 
He  turned  west  for  help,  and  it  did  not  take  him  long  to 


General  I'iew  of  Salt  Lake  City 

The  Temple  and  Hotel  Utah  to  the  right ;  the  snow-clad  Wa:;atch 

Range  in  the  distance 


t. 


Railways  in  Utah  327 

realize  that  in  Senator  W.  A.  Clark,  of  Montana,  was  one 
of  the  richest  men  of  America  and  one  who  was  thor- 
oughly and  completely  developed  by  and  wedded  to  the 
West.  The  proposition  was  laid  before  him,  appealed  to 
his  western  pride  as  well  as  his  sound  business  judgment. 
He  sent  railway  and  business  experts  into  the  field,  and 
acting  upon  their  reports,  he  agreed  to  finance  the  under- 
taking to  the  extent  of  at  least  twenty  millions  of  dollars, 
if  the  people  of  Los  Angeles  would  subscribe  a  million 
dollars  worth  of  bonds,  and  the  Terminal  Company  would 
allow  itself  to  be  absorbed  by  the  new  company.  This  was 
done,  construction  work  begun  and  pushed  rapidly  and 
the  first  passenger  trains  of  the  Los  Angeles  and  Salt 
Lake  Route  took  possession  of  the  rails  between  the 
two  cities. 

In  regard  to  transcontinental  business,  the  Salt  Lake 
Route  occupies  a  position  of  great  strategic  importance. 
Competing  systems  enter  Salt  Lake  City  from  the  east, 
the  Union  Pacific  and  the  Rio  Grande  and  Western. 
These  connect  at  their  eastern  termini  with  all  the  great 
eastern  systems  running  out  of  Omaha,  Chicago,  and 
St.  Louis.  Northward  from  Salt  Lake  City  the  Oregon 
Short  Line  connects  with  the  Great  Northern,  the  North- 
ern Pacific,  the  Oregon  Railway  and  Navigation  Com- 
pany's and  the  Canadian  Pacific  lines.  While  freight  and 
passenger  traffic  from  San  Francisco  and  central  Califor- 
nia will  always  find  the  Ogden  Route  the  quicker  and 
more  direct,  equally  so  the  Salt  Lake  Route  affords  the 
better  route  from  Los  Angeles  and  all  southern  Califor- 
nia. And  as  the  influx  of  tourists  into  southern  California 
increases  with  remarkable  volume  each  year  the  Salt 
Lake  Route  has  already  taken  its  place  as  the  popular 
and  most  direct  route,  and  it  appeals  equally  strongly 
to  those  returning  from  its  borders  to  the  middle  west, 
north  and  east.* 

•Just  as  this  volume  goes  to  press  the  news  comes  that  the  Union  Pacific  Company 
has  purchased  the  Salt  Lake  Route  and  made  it  an  integral  part  of  its  system. 


APPENDICES 


THE  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  MORMON  CHURCH 

It  Is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  most  complete  and  far- 
reaching  —  though  by  no  means  the  largest  —  church 
organization  in  existence  is  the  product  of  the  brain  of 
Joseph  Smith,  the  prophet  of  Mormonism,  Few  out- 
siders, except  those  who  live  in  close  contact  with  it,  have 
any  conception  of  the  great  Mormon  system  of  church 
government.  It  is  exceptionally  thorough,  down  to  the 
minutest  particulars.  Nothing  seems  to  have  been  over- 
looked; no  essential  point  neglected.  It  is  military-like  in 
its  attention  to  detail,  and  statesman-like  in  its  appeal  to 
the  sense  of  responsibility  in  men,  for  thousands  are  made 
to  feel  the  weight  of  official  position  and  thereby  rendered 
more  careful  in  their  daily  walk  and  conversation.  This 
is  what  so  wise  and  conservative  an  observer  as  Bishop 
Tuttle  of  the  Episcopal  Church  remarks  about  the  Mor- 
mon system : 

"  Much  satisfaction  is  thus  given  to  the  self-assertion, 
ambition,  and  desire  for  leadership,  natural  to  man. 
There  is  strength  in  this.  Furthermore,  may  it  not  be 
said,  and  might  not  bishops  and  rectors  of  our  own 
Church  be  profited  by  taking  heed  to  the  saying,  that  the 
intelligent  interest  and  loyalty  and  devotion  of  disciples 
are  sure  to  be  promoted  by  according  to  them  some 
authority  and  devolving  upon  them  responsibility." 

It  goes  without  saying,  that  Joseph  Smith  personally 

328 


The  Organization  of  the  Mormon  Church  329 

disclaimed  all  credit  or  honor  for  the  organization  of  this 
system.  To  him  and  his  followers  it  was  a  matter  of 
revelation.  In  his  History  of  the  Church  he  explains  how 
each  step  he  took  in  the  organization  was  guided  and 
directed  —  revealed  —  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  he  was 
but  the  humble  instrument,  the  channel,  through  which 
the  revelation  came.  Be  that  as  it  may,  no  one  who 
studies  it  can  fail  to  be  deeply  impressed  by  the  wisdom 
manifested,  and  the  high  qualities  of  statesmanship 
it  implies. 

At  first  sight  the  organization  seems  to  be  somewhat 
complicated.  This  is  because,  in  conjunction  with  the 
offices  held,  there  are  two  priesthoods  —  those  of  Mel- 
chizedek  and  Aaron  —  to  which  all  officers  must  belong. 
Hence  it  is  essential  first  that  the  reader  understand  the 
significance  of  these  two  priesthoods.  According  to 
definitions  given  by  the  Mormon  Church  authorities, 
Priesthood  is  the  power  and  authority  given  to  men  to  act 
in  the  name  of  God,  by  which  they  can  officiate  in  the 
ordinances  of  the  gospel,  for  the  benefit  of  their  fellow- 
men.  It  also  is  to  enable  man  to  receive  the  ministration 
of  angels  and  to  enjoy  the  presence  of  God  the  Father, 
and  His  Son,  Jesus  Christ. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  the  Mormon  Church 
claims  to  be  the  one  true  church  in  that  it  restores  — 
brings  back  to  life  —  all  the  ordinances  of  God  as  insti- 
tuted by  Him  from  the  beginning.  Bible  students  will 
recall  that  the  Old  Testament  speaks  of  the  Melchizedek 
Priesthood,  and  later  of  the  Aaronic  or  Levitical  Priest- 
hood. Early  in  the  existence  of  the  IMormon  Church 
Joseph  Smith  restored  these  priesthoods,  the  former  as 
the  High  or  Holy  Priesthood,  and  the  latter  as  the  Lesser 
Priesthood.  Every  officer  of  the  Church,  from  the  high- 
est to  the  lowest,  must  be  a  member  of  one  or  the  other  of 
these  priesthoods.  For  instance,  in  the  Melchizedek  Priest- 
hood there  are  five  primary  officers,  viz.,  (i )  Apostle,  (2) 


330      Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

Patriarch,  (3)  High  Priest,  (4)  Seventy,  and  (5)  Elder. 
Springing  out  of  these  in  their  proper  order  are  various 
important  and  administrative  offices,  with  corresponding 
officers.  In  the  Aaronic  Priesthood  the  four  primary 
offices  are,  (i)  Bishop,  (2)  Priest,  (3)  Teacher,  and 
(4)  Deacon. 

GENERAL  OFFICERS  OVER  ALL  THE  CHURCH 

He  only  who  has  been  ordained  a  High  Priest  of  the 
Order  of  Melchizedek  is  eligible  to  be  a  member  of  the 
First  Presidency,  either  as  President  or  Counselor,  a 
Prophet,  Seer,  Revelator  or  Translator. 

APOSTLES 

These  are  general  officers  of  the  whole  Church,  who, 
under  the  direction  of  the  First  Presidency  build  up  the 
Church  in  all  nations,  and  all  must  be  elected  as  Apostles 
in  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood,  ere  they  can  be  recognized 
as  having  power  and  authority  to  be  Prophets,  Seers,  or 
Revelators. 

OFFICERS  OVER  THE  STAKES 

One  must  be  a  High  Priest  in  the  Melchizedek  Order 
to  be  a  President  or  Counselor  of  the  Stake  (for  explana- 
tion of  this  term  see  later  in  this  chapter). 

THE    SEVENTY 

It  will  be  recalled  that  the  New  Testament  relates : 
"  After  these  things  the  Lord  appointed  other  seventy 
also,  and  sent  them  two  and  two  before  his  face  into  every 
city  and  place,  whither  he  himself  would  come.  There- 
fore said  he  unto  them.  The  harvest  truly  is  great,  but  the 
labourers  are  few  :  pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  har- 
vest that  he  would  send  forth  labourers  into  his  harvest." 
(Luke  10:1,2.) 

This  "  Seventy  "  has  been  restored  by  the  Mormon 
Church  to  promulgate  its  doctrines  and  care  for  its  work 
3nd  interests  at  home  and  abroad.    The  Seventy  act  under 


The  Organization  of  the  Mormon  Church  331 

the  direction  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  preach  in  for- 
eign fields.  They  also  have  the  power  to  preside  over  the 
branches  of  the  Church  wherever  founded,  though,  as  a 
rule  the  Elders  do  that  work  in  the  home  field.  Hence  the 
Seventy  are  regarded  as  general  officers,  while  the  Elders 
have  but  local  authority. 

ELDERS 

These  Elders  are  the  standing  ministers  of  the  Church 
and  have  the  authority  to  preside  over  any  branch  of  the 
Church  and  of  all  church  meetings. 

KEYS  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD 

One  of  the  terms  used  by  the  Mormon  Church  is  little 
understood  by  outsiders.  It  is  the  "  Keys  of  the  Priest- 
hood." Jesus  said  to  Peter,  (see  Matt.  i6:  19),  "  I  will 
give  unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
Joseph  Smith  asserts  that,  by  revelation,  God  gave  again 
to  the  Mormon  Church  the  "  keys  "  of  power,  which, 
those,  duly  ordained,  are  able  to  use.  Every  office  of  the 
priesthood  has  its  own  peculiar  keys  or  authority,  but 
none  may  exercise  this  power  unless  he  is  duly  called  of 
God,  either  by  direct  inspiration,  as  was  Adam,  Enoch, 
Moses,  or  by  the  united  voice  of  His  authorized  priest- 
hood, (which,  of  course,  to  the  Mormons,  means  their 
exclusive  High  Priesthood). 

THE  OFFICIALS  IN  THE  MORMON   CHURCH 

Having  thus  made  clear  to  the  lay  mind  the  significance 
of  the  priesthoods  of  the  Mormon  Church,  let  us  now  con- 
sider the  officials  who  act  in  their  varied  capacities  and 
exercise  the  authority  of  the  various  "  keys,"  in  the  orga- 
nization of  the  Mormon  Church. 

First  Presidency.  This  is  the  highest  presiding  body 
of  the  Church.  Joseph  Smith  was  ordained  the  First 
President  at  Amherst,  Ohio,  January  25,  1832.  Joseph 
claimed  that  he  had   received  a  revelation  that   Sidney 


332       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

Rigdon  and  Frederick  G.  Williams  should  be  appointed 
Presidents  and  Counselors  of  the  High  Priesthood  to  him- 
self (Joseph)  as  President,  and  accordingly  the  follow- 
ing March  (1833)  they  were  duly  ordained  and  set  apart 
to  this  office. 

The  office  of  President  remained  vacant  for  some  time 
after  the  murder  of  Joseph  Smith,  and  the  duty  of  pre- 
siding over  the  destinies  of  the  Church  fell  upon  Brigham 
Young,  as  the  President  of  the  Quorum  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles,  but  on  December  5.  1847,  after  the  banishment 
from  Nauvoo,  while  the  Mormons  were  in  Winter 
Quarters  (the  present  city  of  Florence,  Neb.),  at  a  coun- 
cil held  at  the  home  of  Elder  Orson  Hyde,  Brigham 
Young  was  unanimously  sustained  as  President.  He  then 
nominated  as  his  Counselors  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  Wil- 
lard  Richards.  This  action  was  duly  sustained  by  the 
saints  in  general  conference  both  at  Council  Bluffs  in 
1847,  ^rid  the  following  year  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

The  following  have  held  the  office  of  President  since 
the  death  of  Brigham  Young,  viz.,  John  Taylor,  Wilford 
Woodruff,  Lorenzo  Snow,  and  Joseph  F.  Smith.  The 
present  president  is  Heber  J.  Grant,  with  Charles  W.  Pen- 
rose and  Anthony  W.  Ivins  as  his  two  Counselors.  These 
three  officials  comprise  what  is  known  as  "  The  First 
Presidency,"  and  in  their  office  is  the  highest  power  of 
the  Church  of  Latter-day  Saints. 

The  Twelve  Apostles.  Even  before  the  Mormon 
Church  was  organized  it  was  pointed  out  that  there  should 
be  a  Council  of  Twelve  Apostles,  and  in  1835,  this  impor- 
tant quorum  was  organized.  In  1841,  the  Prophet  Joseph, 
called  upon  this  body  to  undertake  their  proper  work  and 
turned  over  to  them  much  of  the  burden  of  the  Church 
that,  hitherto,  he  himself  had  borne.  One  of  the  chief 
callings  of  the  apostle  is  to  be  a  preacher  of  the  word, 
everywhere  and  under  all  conditions.  His  jurisdiction  is 
illimitable  upon  the  earth,  yet  his  power,  his  "  keys  of 


lllir.ER    J.    C.KANT, 


SMM'IN  I  II     AM)    I.IXiM, 
MORMON    CHURCH. 


i'Ki:>ii)i-..\'r  (IF    1  HE 


The  Organization  of  the  Mormon  Church  333 

authority,"  cannot  be  exercised  unless  he  is  called  to  his 
work  by  the  First  Presidency  through  revelation.  Yet 
he,  like  all  the  other  authorities  of  the  Church,  must  be 
approved  by  all  the  Church  in  conference  assembled.  This 
approval  is  termed  "  being  sustained  "  by  the  Church. 

The  Seventy.  The  first  Quorum  of  Seventy  was 
selected  by  the  Church  in  council,  at  Kirtland,  Ohio,  in 
February,  1835,  from  those  who  had  proven  their  mettle, 
faith,  courage  and  loyalty  in  going  with  the  prophet  to  the 
aid  of  their  persecuted  brethren  in  Missouri.  The  pur- 
pose of  the  ordination  of  these  seventies  is  to  provide  a 
large  and  well-trained  army  ready  to  go  forth  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  First  Presidency  or  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and 
carry  the  teachings  of  the  Church  of  Latter-day  Saints  to 
the  farthest  corners  of  the  earth.  If  one  Quorum  of 
Seventy  is  not  sufficient,  other  quorums  can  be  organized 
(according  to  a  revelation  received  by  Joseph).  As  the 
work  of  these  men  is  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  the 
Twelve  Apostles,  they  are  sometimes  honored  with  that 
name,  yet  their  official  power  is  less  than  that  of  the 
Twelve.  At  present  there  are  two  hundred  and  nine 
Quorums  of  Seventy  in  the  entire  Church  throughout 
the  world. 

The  Presiding  Patriarch.  In  order  that  "  blessings  " 
may  be  given  officially  and  authoritatively  —  even  as  a 
father,  a  patriarch,  has  the  right,  authority  and  privilege 
of  blessing  each  member  of  his  family  —  the  Mormon 
Church,  by  revelation,  has  instituted  this  order  of  High 
Priests.  Joseph  Smith,  Sr.,  father  of  the  prophet,  was 
the  first  to  hold  this  important  office  in  this  dispensation. 
He  was  ordained  December  18,  1833,  by  his  son.  The 
office  of  Patriarchs  to  the  Church  is  hereditary,  to  be 
handed  down  from  father  to  son,  though  no  one  may  hold 
the  office  who  has  not  been  appointed  and  ordained  by  the 
First  Presidency,  and  then  sustained  by  the  vote  of  the 
Church.     When  Presiding  Patriarch  Joseph  Smith,  Sr., 


334       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

died,  his  son  Ilyrum  was  called  by  revelation  to  succeed 
his  father.  After  Hyrum's  murder,  William  Smith,  his 
brother,  succeeded  by  virtue  of  his  birthright,  but  later, 
having  apostatized  he  was  disfellowshipped.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  John  Smith,  the  brother  of  Joseph  Smith,  Sr., 
who  acted  until  his  death.  John  Smith,  the  oldest  son  of 
Hyrum  Smith,  was  then  ordained  Presiding  Patriarch. 
The  present  Presiding  Patriarch  is  Hyrum  G.  Smith,  the 
great  grandson  of  Hyrum  Smith. 

Before  discussing  the  Aaronic  or  Lesser  Priesthood,  it 
is  well  for  the  reader  fully  to  understand  what  may  be 
termed  the  governmental  divisions  of  the  Church.  These 
are  the  "  Stake  "  and  "  Ward." 

The  Stake.  The  word  "  Stake  "  was  taken  by  the  Mor- 
mon Prophet  Joseph  from  the  words  of  the  Prophet 
Isaiah  in  such  passages  as : 

"  Look  upon  Zion,  the  city  of  our  solemnities ;  thine 
eyes  shall  see  Jerusalem  a  quiet  habitation,  a  tabernacle 
that  shall  not  be  taken  down,  not  one  of  the  stakes  thereof 
shall  ever  be  removed,  neither  shall  any  of  the  cords 
thereof  be  broken."     Isa.,  23-20. 

"  Enlarge  the  place  of  thy  tent,  and  let  them  stretch 
forth  the  curtains  of  thine  habitation :  Spare  not,  lengthen 
thy  cords,  and  strengthen  thy  stakes."      Isa.,  54:2. 

Stakes,  in  Mormon  phraseology,  are  subdivisions  of  the 
Church,  for  governmental  purposes.  For  instance,  in  Salt 
Lake  City  alone  there  are  four  Stakes,  viz.,  Ensign,  Lib- 
erty, Pioneer  and  Salt  Lake.  Each  Stake  is  presided  over 
by  a  President  and  two  counselors  and  a  High  Council 
consisting  of  twelve  members  with  six  alternate  members. 
In  some  instances  a  Stake  is  co-extensive  with  the  county, 
and  may  even  include  a  greater  area  than  is  covered  by 
the  county. 

The  Ward.  This  is  a  smaller  subdivision  of  the  Church 
and  is  the  unit  of  the  Stake  and  may  comprise  any  number 
of  members.     The  Bishopric,  comprising  a  bishop  and 


The  Organization  of  the  Mormon  Church  ;J35 


his   two   counselors,   constitutes   the   presiding   body   in 
the  Ward. 

Branches  are  still  smaller  subdivisions  of  the  Church 
and  are  generally  established  in  localities  where  the  mem- 
bers are  few  and  living  too  far  apart  to  sustain  a  Ward 
organization.  Conferences  and  Missions  are  also  sub- 
divisions of  the  Church  temporarily  established  in  parts 
of  the  world  where  missionary  work  is  being  carried  on. 

SOVEREIGNTY  OF  THE  CHURCH 

The  Mormons  believe  implicitly  that  God  should  be  the 
acknowledged  supreme  authority  of  all  the  governments 
of  the  earth.  Yet  they  realize  and  acknowledge  that  the 
Kingdom  of  God  is  not  fully  established  upon  the  earth, 
for  now,  as  in  Christ's  time,  we  are  required  to  "  render 
unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's  "  as  well  as  "  to 
God  the  things  that  are  God's."  But  they  also  believe 
that  when  the  King  of  kings  shall  come  in  the  brightness 
of  His  glory  He  will  mount  the  throne  of  His  power  and 
wield  the  scepter  over  earth's  dominions  as  He  now  does 
in  heaven.  He  is  the  Great  Sovereign,  from  Him  ulti- 
mately shall  emanate  all  authority  permitting  men  to  rule 
among  the  nations. 

Undoubtedly  it  is  from  the  open  promulgation  of  this 
belief,  that  the  serious  charge  of  disloyalty  to  the  federal 
government  was  made.  That  there  were  clashes  between 
federal  officials  and  the  Mormon  authorities  there  is  no 
question,  but  a  careful  study  of  all  these  differences  will 
indicate  that  the  Mormons  were  more  sinned  against  than 
sinning,  and  that  some  of  the  men  sent  out  to  administer 
government  and  justice  were  neither  competent  nor  wise. 
On  the  subject  of  polygamy  the  attitude  of  the  Mormon 
Church  was  that  it  was  not  a  matter  in  which  state  or 
federal  government  had  the  right  to  interfere.  It  was  a 
matter  of  conscience,  life,  religion,  and  not  until  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  finally,  firmly  and 


330       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

fully  upheld  the  law  of  Congress  upon  the  subject  did  the 
Mormons  yield  and  abandon  the  practice. 

In  Mormon  Church  government  priesthood  stands  for 
authority.  "  The  Melchizedek  Priesthood  holds  the  right 
of  Presidency;  and  has  power  and  authority  over  all  the 
offices  in  the  Church  in  all  ages  of  the  world,"  says  the 
Doctrine  and  Covetianfs.  But  as  this  authority  is  con- 
ferred only  by  the  power  or  command  of  God,  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Mormon  Church  may  be  called  a  theocracy, 
according  to  the  belief  of  its  members,  as  they  are  assured 
that  their  officials  are  called  of  God  to  officiate  in  His 
name  and  stead.  Furthermore,  the  Mormons  believe  that 
their  church  is  the  leaven  that  shall  leaven  the  whole  lump 
of  mankind  and  prepare  it  for  the  coming  of  Christ.  In 
the  words  of  President  Wilford  Woodruff: 

"  We  believe  this  Church  will  prepare  the  way  for  the 
coming  of  Christ  to  reign  as  King,  and  that  this  Church 
will  then  develop  into  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

We  have  seen  how  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood  con- 
forms to  this  idea  in  the  higher  official  work  of  the  church. 
Let  us  now  see  how  the  Lesser  Priesthood  works. 

THE  LESSER  OR  AARONIC  PRIESTHOOD 

The  Priesthood  Conferred.  While  Joseph  Smith  was 
engaged  in  translating  the  Book  of  Mormon,  with  Oliver 
Cowdery  as  his  scribe,  on  May  15,  1829,  they  went  into 
the  woods  to  pray  and  inquire  of  God  respecting  bap- 
tism, which  they  found  mentioned  on  the  golden  plates. 
Joseph  says: 

"  While  we  were  thus  employed,  praying  and  calling 
upon  the  Lord,  a  messenger  from  heaven  descended  in  a 
cloud  of  light,  and  having  laid  hands  upon  us,  saying: 
'  Upon  you,  my  fellow  servants,  in  the  name  of  Messiah, 
I  confer  the  Priesthood  of  Aaron,  which  holds  the  keys  of 
the  ministering  of  angels,  and  of  the  Gospel  of  repent- 
ance, and  of  baptism  by  im.mersion  for  the  remission  of 


The  Organization  of  the  Mormon  Church  337 

sins;  and  this  shall  never  be  taken  again  from  the  earth, 
until  the  sons  of  Levi  do  offer  again  an  offering  unto 
the  Lord  in  righteousness.' 

"  He  said  that  this  Aaronic  Priesthood  had  not  the 
pov;^er  of  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  but  that  this  should  be  conferred  on  us  hereafter; 
and  he  commanded  us  to  go  and  be  baptized,  and  gave  us 
directions  that  I  should  baptize  Oliver  Cowdery,  and 
afterwards  that  he  should  baptize  me." 

The  messenger  who  visited  them  on  this  occasion, 
according  to  Mormon  belief,  was  John  the  Baptist,  and 
he  then  conferred  upon  Joseph  and  all  who  later  should 
be  called  and  ordained  to  the  Aaronic  Priesthood,  the  keys 
of  the  ministering  of  angels;  the  authority  to  preach  the 
Gospel  of  repentance;  and  to  baptize  by  immersion  for  the 
remission  of  sins.  Later  on,  other  revelations  were  given, 
conferring  other  powers  which  are  now  exercised  by  the 
priesthood. 

The  Presiding  Bishopric.  This  bishopric,  viewed  as  a 
whole,  comprises  the  authority  of  and  presidency  over  the 
Aaronic  or  Lesser  Priesthood,  who  may  officiate  in  all 
the  temporal  business  affairs  of  the  Church.  They  "  hold 
the  keys"  to  the  Presidency  of  this  Priesthood;  this 
means  that  they  have  the  right,  power,  and  authority  to 
officiate  in  any  and  all  the  offices  belonging  thereto,  and 
also  the  right  to  ordain  others  to  this  ministry.  It  should 
be  noted  here,  that,  according  to  Exodus,  40:15,  all  the 
lineal  descendants  of  Aaron  are  legally  entitled  to  this 
office,  but  as  God,  in  this  latter-day  dispensation,  has  not 
designated  who  are  the  "  sons  of  Aaron,"  and  has  author- 
ized the  High  Priests  of  the  Order  of  Melchizedek  to 
officiate  in  any  of  the  lesser  offices  of  the  Church,  this 
custom  has  been  followed  and  doubtless  will  continue. 
Hence  it  will  be  seen  that  the  First  Presidency  alone  has 
the  power  to  appoint  a  Presiding  Bishop,  though  he  must 


338       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

be  confirmed  or  sustained  in  the  office  by  the  whole  Church 
in  conference  assembled. 

Ward  Bishops.  Bishops  of  wards  are  selected  as  fol- 
lows :  The  Stake  Presidency  chooses  a  suitable  man  and 
presents  his  name  to  the  High  Council  for  approval.  If 
so  approved  the  name  is  sent  to  the  First  Presidency,  who, 
if  satisfied  of  his  fitness  for  the  office,  find  out  if  he  Is 
willing  to  accept.  If  so,  his  name  is  presented  to  the 
ward,  and  on  their  vote  being  in  his  favor  he  is  duly 
ordained.  The  First  Presidency  also  has  the  power  to 
appoint  and  ordain  any  person  of  its  choice  to  this  office. 
Each  Bishop  has  two  counselors. 

Here,  then,  it  will  be  seen  that  every  ward  has  its  own 
bishop.  In  Salt  Lake  City  alone  there  are  thirty-six 
wards,  hence  thirty-six  bishops. 

The  Priest.  The  duty  of  the  priest  is  to  preach,  teach, 
expound,  exhort,  baptize  and  administer  the  sacrament, 
visit  the  house  of  each  member,  and  exhort  them  to  pray 
vocally  and  in  secret,  and  attend  to  all  family  duties. 
These  duties  imply  considerable  preparation  for  the 
preacher  must  know  not  only  the  Bible  of  the  ordinary 
church-minister,  but  also  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  other 
works  conveying  the  special  doctrines  of  the  Mormon 
Church.  Then,  too,  he  should  be  a  man  of  prayer,  and 
also  of  discretion  and  wisdom,  for  he  is  to  call  upon  all 
the  members  and  urge  them  to  their  religious  duties.  He 
must  also  know  how  to  teach  children  in  all  good  and 
holy  things. 

The  Teacher.  The  teacher  has  many  duties  to  perform. 
He  is  to  watch  over  the  Church  and  be  with  and 
strengthen  its  members  always.  He  must  see  that  there 
is  no  iniquity  in  the  Church,  so  that  he  might  aptly  be 
called  "  the  policeman  of  the  Church."  He  must  warn 
and  counsel  members  against  falling  out,  and  seek  to  rec- 
oncile them  to  each  other,  as  well  as  warn  the  liar  of  his 
evil.     His  duty  is  also  to  see  that  there  is  no  "  backbiting 


The  Organization  of  the  Mormon  Church  o.^o 

nor  evil  speaking "  —  sins  that  poison  the  stream  of 
brotherly  love,  undermine  fraternal  confidence,  blacken 
innocent  character,  and  canker  the  souls  of  those  who  are 
guilty  of  such  meddlesomeness.  He  warns  and  rebukes 
the  law-breakers;  he  exhorts  and  entreats  the  negligent; 
he  counsels  and  persuades  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord;  and  in 
order  that  he  may  more  fully  understand  the  spiritual  con- 
dition of  the  members  zvithin  his  jurisdiction,  he  is 
required  to  visit  them  in  their  homes. 

He  must  also  see  that  members  partake  of  the  sacra- 
ment, pay  their  tithes,  refrain  from  speaking  evil  of  the 
priesthood,  keep  holy  the  Sabbath  day,  and  that  they  do 
no  actual  wrong.  He  must  act  as  peacemaker  and  also 
warn,  expound,  exhort  and  teach,  and  invite  all  to  come 
to  Christ. 

Quite  a  responsibility,  requiring  great  care,  wisdom 
and  knowledge.  These  teachers  are  all  under  the  control 
of  the  Ward  Bishopric  and  are  appointed  to  a  certain 
district,  or  "  block  "  in  a  city. 

The  Deacon.  This  is  an  officer  whose  chief  work  is  to 
care  for  the  poor,  help  in  all  efforts  furthering  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Church,  and  give  what  help  he  can  to  the 
teacher  of  his  "  block."  The  office  may  be  regarded  as  a 
training  school  for  the  higher  offices,  aiding  a  young  man 
to  get  a  clear  and  comprehensive  idea  of  the  workings  of 
the  Church  as  a  temporal  and  spiritual  organization. 

From  this  simple  outline  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Mor- 
mon Church  is  perfectly  organized  and  with  ramifications 
reaching  to  every  home.  The  deacon,  teacher  and  priest 
are  required  to  keep  in  actual  touch  with  every  member 
and  to  report  constantly  to  their  ward  bishop.  These  in 
turn  report  to  the  higher  officers,  so  that  the  condition  of 
the  membership  is  well  known  to  all  the  officials  all  the 
time.  I  know  of  no  other  church  organization  that  is  so 
complete,  or  that  so  effectively  trains  its  members  for  the 
performance  of  the  work  of  the  Church. 


340       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

In  addition  to  the  organization  above  described,  there 
are  church  schools  and  auxihary  organizations  under  the 
control  of  the  Church.  These  schools  are  scattered  all 
over  Utah  and  some  are  in  Idaho,  Arizona  and  Mexico. 
The  other  organizations  are  the  Relief  Society,  Sunday 
School,  Young  Men's  Mutual  Improvement  Association, 
Young  Ladies'  Mutual  Improvement  Association,  the 
Primary  Association,  the  Religion  Class,  all  of  them  doing 
their  allotted  work  effectively  and  with  earnest  sincerity, 
thus  seeking  still  further  to  build  up  the  power,  and 
enlarge  the  boundaries,  of  the  Church. 

The  Tithing  System.  Before  leaving  the  subject  of 
Mormon  Church  government  it  is  imperative  that  the 
tithing  system  be  explained.  The  prophet  Joseph  Smith 
gave  to  the  Church  the  following  revelation : 

"  Verily  thus  saith  the  Lord,  I  require  all  their  surplus 
property  to  be  put  into  the  hands  of  the  bishop  of  the 
Church  of  Zion. 

"  For  the  building  of  Mine  house,  and  for  the  laying 
of  the  foundation  of  Zion,  and  for  the  priesthood,  and 
for  the  debts  of  the  presidency  of  My  Church;  and  this 
shall  be  the  beginning  of  the  tithing  of  My  people;  and 
after  that,  those  who  have  been  tithed,  shall  pay  one- 
tenth  of  all  their  interest  annually;  and  this  shall  be  a 
standing  law  unto  them  forever,  for  My  holy  priesthood, 
saith  the  Lord. 

"  Verily  I  say  unto  you  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  all 
those  who  gather  unto  the  land  of  Zion  shall  be  tithed 
of  their  surplus  property,  and  shall  observe  this  law,  or 
they  shall  not  be  found  worthy  to  abide  among  you.  And 
I  say  unto  you  if  My  people  observe  not  this  law  to  keep 
it  holy,  and  by  this  law  sanctify  the  land  of  Zion  unto 
Me,  that  My  statutes  and  My  judgments  may  be  kept 
thereon,  that  it  may  be  most  holy,  behold,  verily  I  say 
unto  you,  it  shall  not  be  a  land  of  Zion  unto  you." 

The  good  and  conscientious  Mormon,  therefore,  regards 


The  Organization  of  the  Mormon  Church  341 

tithing  as  mandatory  and  he  gives  up  one-tenth  of  his 
income  yearly.  Temporal  and  spiritual  blessings  are 
promised,  in  accordance  with  such  passages  as  are  found 
in  Malachi  3:10,  11,  and  all  members  of  the  Church  are 
assured  that  while  tithing  is  not  sufficient  to  keep  a  man 
in  the  Church,  he  certainly  cannot  retain  his  standing  to 
the  end  without  it.  No  one  is  knowingly  received  into 
the  Church  who  repudiates  this  doctrine,  and  of  those 
already  received  who  refuse  the  tithe  payment  it  is  said: 

"  To  the  non-tithe  payer  the  doors  of  the  Temple  are 
closed,  and  the  privileges  of  sacred  ordinances  cut  off. 
On  what  ground  can  one  claim  the  right  to  be  trusted 
with  the  most  sacred  and  spiritual  privileges  of  the  king- 
dom, when  he  is  not  true  to  his  trust  in  material  things? 
How  can  one  claim  the  blessings  of  the  Temple  if  he 
refuses  to  build  and  maintain  it?"* 

The  Church  teaches  that  apostasy  is  the  inevitable  end 
of  persistent  non-tithe  paying,  though  there  may  be  no 
formal  action  taken  against  the  disobedient  member. 
Spiritual  laws  work  automatically.  On  the  other  hand, 
those  who  regularly  and  honestly  pay  their  tithes  are 
building  up  their  spiritual  character  in  a  variety  of  ways 
that  any  thoughtful  person  may  speedily  realize. 

In  the  early  days,  when  money  was  scarce  and  the 
major  part  of  the  members  were  tillers  of  the  soil,  most 
of  the  payments  were  made  "  in  kind."  One  could  see 
the  farmers  drive  in  to  the  old  tithing-house  that  used  to 
stand  where  the  magnificent  Hotel  Utah  is  now  located, 
bringing  a  sheep,  perhaps,  a  side  of  beef,  hams,  bacon, 
salt  pork,  grain  of  every  kind,  beans  and  other  legumes, 
eggs,  poultry,  butter,  fruit  and  vegetables  of  all  sorts,  the 
products  of  the  looms,  wool,  jams,  jellies,  preserves,  and 
all  and  everything  that  a  self-sustaining  people  were 
likely  to  produce.  All  these  goods  were  duly  credited 
to  the  persons  bringing  them  and  receipts  given. 

'Tithing,  by  George  H.  Brimhall,  President  Brigham  Young  University,  Provo,  Utah. 


'M'2       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

Then  another  interesting  phase  of  the  Mormon  method 
of  those  early  days  was  witnessed.  Workmen  were  often 
paid  in  script  on  the  tithing-house  and  men  and  their  wives 
would  often  anxiously  wait  for  hours  to  see  if  those  goods 
came  in  that  they  desired. 

Of  late  years  the  tithing  has  been  mainly  paid  in  cash, 
and  from  the  proceeds,  the  various  temples,  tabernacles, 
churches,  schools,  academies,  etc.,  erected  and  sustained. 
Two  of  the  products  of  tithing  are  the  pride  not  only  of 
Salt  Lake  City,  but  of  the  whole  West.  These  are 
the  Mormon  Temple,  fully  described  in  the  chapter  on 
Salt  Lake  City,  and  the  magnificent,  dignified  and  stately 
office  building  of  the  Church  on  South  Temple  Street. 
This  is  a  simple  structure  of  granite,  of  classic  Greek 
t>'pe,  perfect  in  proportion,  impressive  from  all  view- 
points, admirably  adapted  for  the  work  of  the  Church, 
and  naturally,  the  especial  pride  of  every  Mormon  not 
only  in  the  state,  but  throughout  the  world. 


u 

THE    PECULIAR    DOCTRINES   OF    MORMONISM 

We  have  seen  elsewhere  that  the  mere  preaching  of 
Mormonism  seems  to  have  aroused  bitter  antagonisms 
that  later  developed  into  cruel  persecutions.  The  Mor- 
mons claim  the  reason  for  this  to  be  that  the  Powers  of 
Evil,  knowing  that  God  had  inspired  this  Church  to  dis- 
pense His  kingdom  upon  earth  in  these  latter-days,  were 
thus  aroused  to  fight  to  the  bitter  end  to  preserve  their 
power  over  the  hearts  of  men. 

There  is  nothing  peculiar,  in  one  sense,  in  the  claim 
made  by  the  Mormons  that  theirs  only  is  the  true  Church. 
This  is  the  claim  made  by  the  Jews,  the  Catholics,  the 
Episcopalians,  the  Mahomedans,  the  Christians  (Camp- 
bellites),  the  Seventh-Day  Adventists  and  a  score  of 
others.  But  there  are  peculiar  features  about  this  claim 
when  put  forth  by  the  Mormons  that  have  aroused  the 
intense  antagonisms  of  the  other  churches.  The  Mor- 
mons deny  that  it  is  merely  another  "  sect,"  and  assert 
that  it  is  an  original  creation,  established  upon  the  earth 
in  this  age  as  a  restoration. 

Other  churches  have  their  power  and  authority  handed 
down  from  some  earlier  authority,  the  Roman  Catholics, 
for  instance,  claiming  to  date  dack  to  the  Apostle  Peter. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  Mormons  assert  that  their  Church 
and  its  priesthood  were  reestablished  on  earth  by  Christ 
in  this  "latter-day,"  hence  their  full  name  and  title: 
The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 

Tn  1 84 1,  the  following  Articles  of  Faith  were  promul- 

343 


344       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

gated  by  Joseph  Smith,  adopted  in  conference,  and  have 
ever  since  been  set  forth  as  stating  the  belief  of  the 
Mormons : 

"  I.  We  beUeve  in  God,  the  Eternal  Father,  and  in 
His  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  and  in  the  Holy  Ghost. 

"  2.  We  believe  that  men  will  be  punished  for  their 
own  sins,  and  not  for  Adam's  transgression. 

"  3.  We  believe  that,  through  the  atonement  of  Christ, 
all  mankind  may  be  saved,  by  obedience  to  the  laws  and 
ordinances  of  the  Gospel. 

*'  4.  We  believe  that  the  first  principles  and  ordinances 
of  the  Gospel  are:  First,  Faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ; 
second,  Repentance;  third.  Baptism  by  immersion  for 
the  remission  of  sins ;  fourth,  Laying  on  of  Hands  for 
the  Gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

"  5.  We  believe  that  a  man  must  be  called  of  God,  by 
prophecy,  and  by  the  laying  on  of  hands,  by  those  who 
are  in  authority,  to  preach  the  Gospel  and  administer  in 
the  ordinances  thereof. 

"  6.  We  believe  in  the  same  organization  that  existed 
in  the  primitive  Church,  namely,  apostles,  prophets,  pas- 
tors, teachers,  evangelists,  etc. 

"  7.  We  believe  in  the  gift  of  tongues,  prophecy, 
revelation,  visions,  healings,  interpretation  of  tongues,  etc. 

"  8.  We  believe  the  Bible  to  be  the  word  of  God,  as 
far  as  it  is  translated  correctly ;  we  also  believe  the  Book 
of  Mormon  to  be  the  word  of  God. 

"  9.  We  believe  all  that  God  has  revealed,  all  that  He 
does  now  reveal,  and  we  believe  that  He  will  yet  reveal 
many  great  and  important  things  pertaining  to  the  King- 
dom of  God. 

"10.  We  believe  in  the  literal  gathering  of  Israel 
and  in  the  restoration  of  the  Ten  Tribes.  That  Zion  will 
be  built  upon  this  (the  American)  continent.  That 
Christ  will  reign  personally  upon  the  earth,  and  that  the 
earth  will  be  renewed  and  receive  its  paradisical  glory. 


The  Peculiar  Doctrines  of  Mormonism   345 

"  II.  We  claim  the  privilege  of  worshiping  Almighty 
God  according  to  the  dictates  of  our  own  conscience,  and 
allow  all  men  the  same  privilege,  let  them  worship  how, 
where  or  what  they  may. 

"  12.  We  believe  in  being  subject  to  kings,  presidents, 
rulers  and  magistrates,  in  obeying,  honoring  and  sustain- 
ing the  law. 

"  13.  We  believe  in  being  honest,  true,  chaste,  benevo- 
lent, virtuous,  and  in  doing  good  to  all  men;  indeed  we 
may  say  that  we  follow  the  admonition  of  Paul :  '  We 
believe  all  things,  we  hope  all  things,'  we  have  endured 
many  things,  and  hope  to  be  able  to  endure  all  things. 
If  there  is  anything  virtuous,  lovely,  or  of  good  report 
or  praiseworthy  we  seek  after  these  things." 

To  this  declaration  of  faith  many  Christian  churches 
could  pledge  their  allegiance,  hence  if  the  Mormons  have 
peculiar  beliefs  they  must  be  found  in  their  doctrinal 
teaching.  This,  we  find,  emphasizes  Article  9,  in  that  the 
Mormon  Church  believes  implicitly  in  present-day  revela- 
tions. Joseph  Smith  received  them  constantly,  and  the 
Church  is  ready  at  any  time  to  accept  future  revelations. 

In  the  chapter  devoted  to  the  organization  of  the 
Church  I  have  disaissed  their  beliefs  as  to  the  restora- 
tion of  the  Melchizedek  and  Aaronic  Priesthoods,  and 
the  chapter  on  Polygamy  has  presented  that  now  obsolete 
practice. 

In  the  chapter  on  Joseph  Smith  his  account  of  the 
origin  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  was  given.  There  have 
been  several  theories  propounded  by  the  enemies  of  Mor- 
monism to  account  for  it  in  other  ways.  They  are  all 
found  to  be  pure  concoctions  on  the  part  of  their  authors, 
though  the  so-called  Spaulding  theory  is  interesting 
enough  to  deserve  a  few  lines  of  elucidation  and  expla- 
nation. Spaulding,  a  well-educated  man,  a  graduate  of 
Dartmouth  College,  came  to  live  on  Conneaut  Creek, 
Ohio,  in  which  region  were  many  mounds  and  other. evi- 


34()       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

dences  of  a  prehistoric  civilization.  His  business  not 
prospering,  he  returned  to  Hterature  as  a  recreation  and 
wrote  a  book,  using  the  same  fiction  that  Sir  Walter 
Scott,  Mark  Twain,  and  a  score  of  other  eminent  authors 
have  done,  namely,  that  he  had  found  the  manuscript 
buried  in  some  cave  or  other  and  had  merely  translated 
or  transcribed  it.  Hence  the  title  of  his  book  was  known 
as  Manuscript  Found,  and  the  subject  dealt  with  was  the 
supposed  life  of  the  prehistoric  inhabitants  of  the  region. 
When  the  Book  of  Mormon  was  published  there  were 
various  claims  made  that  it  was  neither  more  nor  less 
than  Spaulding's  book,  with  a  few  additions  of  religious 
and  doctrinal  matter.  But  how  had  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith  secured  the  book?  Some  said  he  had  worked  at 
a  place  that  enabled  him  to  steal  the  manuscript  from  a 
trunk  in  which  it  had  been  placed  after  Spaulding's 
death ;  another  that  Sidney  Rigdon  had  borrowed  and 
copied  the  manuscript  from  a  Mr.  Lambdin,  who  was  an 
employee  in  Patterson's  printing  and  publishing  estab- 
lishment, where  it  had  been  brought  "  to  be  passed  upon." 
After  the  apostasy  of  Doctor  Philastus  Hurlburt  and  his 
vindictive  persecutions  of  Joseph  Smith  began,  he 
secured  a  large  number  of  affidavits  from  neighbors  of 
Spaulding's  who  had  heard  parts  of  the  manuscript  read, 
and  all  of  whom  claimed,  in  effect,  that  the  Spaulding 
book  and  the  Book  of  Mormon  were,  to  say  the  least, 
suspiciously  alike  in  matter,  the  names  used,  and  in 
phraseology.  Later  Hurlburt  secured  from  Spaulding's 
widow  the  manuscript  itself,  according  to  his  and  her 
own  statements,  with  the  intention  of  publishing  it  to  the 
world  and  thus  demonstrating  Joseph  Smith's  theft  and 
imposture.  But  though  E.  D.  Howe,  of  Painsville,  Ohio, 
—  the  publisher  of  all  Hurlburt's  fulminations  with  addi- 
tions of  his  own,  in  a  book  entitled  Mormonism 
Unveiled, —  was  as  anxious  as  was  he  to  present  so  con- 
vincing a  proof  of  Joseph's  duplicity,  it  was  found,  when 


The  Peculiar  Doctrines  of  Mormonism  347 

the  manuscript  was  read,  that  it  was  nothing  Hke  what  it 
was  purported  to  be,  hence  could  not  be  used.  This  manu- 
script —  the  only  one  Spaulding  is  known  to  have  written 
—  was  left  by  Hurlburt,  according  to  his  own  statement, 
with  Mr.  Howe,  "  with  the  understanding  that  when  he 
had  examined  it  he  should  return  it  to  the  widow.  Said 
Howe  says  the  manuscript  was  destroyed  by  fire" —  any- 
how, the  widow  never  saw  it  again,  and  for  years  it  was 
deemed  lost. 

Strange  to  say,  it  was  left  for  President  Fairchild,  of 
Oberlin  College,  Ohio,  the  stalwart  institution  of  an 
almost  rigid  and  orthodox  puritanism,  to  unearth  the 
long-lost  manuscript  and  demonstrate  the  falsity  of  the 
Spaulding  theory.  In  about  1839  or  1840,  a  Mr.  L.  L. 
Rice  purchased  the  newspaper  and  plant  of  Mr.  E.  D. 
Howe,  the  publisher  of  Mormonism  Unveiled.  In  con- 
nection with  the  printing  plant  was  a  large  library  of 
books  and  manuscripts.  Some  years  afterwards  Mr. 
Rice  sold  the  printing  plant,  but  removed  all  his  books 
and  manuscripts  (including  those  purchased  from 
Howe)  to  Honolulu,  Hawaii,  where  he  made  his  resi- 
dence. In  1884  President  James  H.  Fairchild  visited 
him,  and  being  anxious  to  secure  early  Ohio  manuscripts, 
especially  those  on  anti-slavery,  for  his  college  library, 
urged  Mr.  Rice  to  go  over  his  collection  and  donate  what 
he  could  for  that  purpose.  Now  let  Dr.  Fairchild  tell 
his  own  story.  It  was  published  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  in  the 
January  issue,  1885,  of  the  Bibliotheca  Sacra : 

"  .  .  .  In  pursuance  of  this  suggestion  Mr.  Rice 
began  looking  over  his  old  pamphlets  and  papers,  and  at 
length  came  upon  an  old,  worn,  and  faded  manuscript  of 
about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  pages,  small  quarto, 
purporting  to  be  a  history  of  the  migrations  and  conflicts 
of  the  ancient  Indian  tribes  which  occupied  the  territory 
now  belonging  to  the  states  of  New  York,  Ohio,  and 
Kentucky.     On  the  last  page   of  this  manuscript   is  a 


348       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

certificate  and  signature  giving  the  names  of  several  per- 
sons known  to  the  signer,  who  have  assured  him  that,  to 
their  personal  knowledge,  the  manuscript  was  in  the 
writing  of  Solomon  Spaulding.  Mr.  Rice  has  no  recol- 
lection how  or  when  this  manuscript  came  into  his  pos- 
session. It  was  enveloped  in  a  coarse  piece  of  wrapping 
paper  and  endorsed  in  Mr.  Rice's  handwriting,  *  A  Manu- 
script Story.' 

"  There  seems  to  be  no  reason  to  doubt  that  this  is  the 
long-lost  story.  Mr.  Rice  himself  and  others  compared 
it  with  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  could  detect  no  resem- 
blance between  the  two,  in  general  or  in  detail.  There 
seems  to  be  no  name  or  incident  common  to  the  two.  The 
solemn  style  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  in  imitation  of  the 
English  Scriptures,  does  not  appear  in  the  manuscript. 
The  only  resemblance  is  the  fact  that  both  profess  to  set 
forth  the  history  of  the  lost  tribes.  Some  other  explana- 
tion of  the  origin  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  must  he  found 
if  any  explanation  is  required.* 

(Signed)     James  H.  Fairchild." 

This  manuscript  is  now  to  be  seen  by  any  accredited 
person  in  the  Oberlin  College  library.  A  copy  was  made 
from  it  by  President  Joseph  F.  Smith,  who  in  1884  was 
residing  in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  in  1886  this  was 
published  by  the  Deserct  News  —  exactly  according  to 
the  transcript,  with  all  its  errors  of  grammar  and  orthog- 
raphy, as  also  with  all  the  alterations,  erasures,  etc.,  made 
by  its  author,  indicated.  This  certainly  does  not  appear 
as  if  the  Mormons  had  anything  to  hide  in  regard  to  the 
Spaulding  manuscript  or  theory. 

If  the  reader  is  interested  in  conjecture,  there  are  many 
others  presented  by  various  authors  as  to  the  origin  of 
this  book.     To  these  he  is  referred. 

But  there  are  beliefs  that  are  peculiar  to  Mormonism. 

•The  italics  are  mine.     George  Wharton  James. 


JOSEril    F.    SMITH,    SIXTH    PRESIDENT    OF   THE    MORMON    CIirRCII. 


The  Peculiar  Doctrines  of  Mormonism  349 

One  of  these  is  "  Baptism  for  the  Dead."  To  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  orthodox  Christians  it  has  been  a  serious 
question  as  to  what  became  of  those  who  died  prior  to 
the  coming  of  Christ,  or  who,  after  His  coming,  never 
heard  of  Him  and  therefore  could  not  "  beheve  on  Him 
and  be  saved."  Joseph,  the  prophet,  had  a  revelation  in 
June,  1836,  making  it  clear  that  all  such,  as  well  as 
children  who  die  before  arriving  at  the  years  of  account- 
ability, wJw  would  have  received  the  Gospel  with  all  their 
hearts  had  it  been  possible,  shall  be  heirs  of  the  Celestial 
Kingdom.  On  January  19,  1841,  another  revelation  was 
received  urging  the  people  to  complete  the  Temple  that, 
among  other  needful  things,  there  might  be  erected  a 
font  where  the  ordinance  of  baptism  for  the  dead  might 
be  performed.  Henceforth  the  prophet  and  leading  elders 
often  expounded  this  doctrine  and  showed  that  by  it  the 
holy  ministrations  of  the  saints  could  affect  all  the  genera- 
tions of  the  past  as  well  as  those  which  were  to  come. 
To  an  impressionable  people  it  can  well  be  seen  what  a 
wonderful  vista  this  opened  up.  The  Mormons  quote 
such  passages  as  the  following  to  show  that  the  dead  can 
be  preached  to  and  saved: 

"  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  the  hour  is  coming, 
and  now  is,  when  the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son 
of  God ;  and  they  that  hear  shall  live, —  John  5:25. 

"  Who  shall  give  account  to  Him  that  is  ready  to  judge 
the  quick  and  the  dead.  For,  for  this  cause  was  the 
gospel  preached  also  to  them  that  are  dead,  that  they 
might  be  judged  according  to  men  in  the  flesh,  but  live 
according  to  God  in  the  spirit. —  i  Peter  4:5  and  6. 

"  Else  what  shall  they  do  which  are  baptized  for  the 
dead,  if  the  dead  rise  not  at  all?  Why  are  they  then  bap- 
tized for  the  dead?" —  i  Cor.  15:2^. 

This  doctrine  has  been  much  emphasized,  and  the  Mor- 
mons have  faithfully  observed  it,  being  baptized  for  their 
dead  that  the  latter  might  be  saved. 


\ 


350       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

The  Mormons  also  believe  that  in  the  future  life  there- 
are  grades  of  happiness  and  misery  —  that  all  men  are 
not  alike  either  happy  or  wretched,  but  they  are  rewarded 
according  to  their  works.  ^"^ 

Another  peculiar  doctrine  of  Mormonism,  which  many 
have  confounded  with  polygamy,  is  Celestial  Marriage. 
The  3Iormons  show  that,  according  to  the  ritual  used, 
the  Christian  Churches  marry  only  "  until  death  doth 
part."  They  claim,  however,  that  their  priesthood  has 
the  power  to  seal  for  eternity  as  well  as  for  time,  and 
that  real  marriage  is  an  eternal  relationship.  And  they 
further  believe  that,  where  no  marriage  for  eternity  has 
taken  place,  and  been  solemnized  in  their  duly  appointed 
temples,  and  by  their  duly  appointed  priesthood,  the 
heavenly  condition  of  those  thus  unmarried  for  eternity 
is  lower  than  that  of  those  who  have  been  married 
for  eternity. 

As  has  been  shown  elsewhere  the  Mormons  believe  that 
America  is  the  place  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  the  country 
in  which  Zion  shall  be  established, —  somewhere  in  the 
western  part.  And  that  Christ  shall  appear  in  Zion  and 
there  shall  be  a  general  resurrection  of  the  righteous 
dead,  after  which  the  era  of  peace  shall  be  established 
and  Christ  shall  reign  among  men  in  visible  presence. 

In  order  to  provide  for  the  needs  of  the  Church,  the 
Mormons  believe  in  the  payment  of  tithes.  They  bring 
one-tenth  of  their  annual  increase  and  dedicate  it  to  the 
service  of  the  Lord. 

The  Mormons  also  believe  that  man,  even  in  his  physi- 
cal body,  is  created  in  the  image  and  likeness  of  God, 
and  furthermore,  that  man  has  the  power  to  attain  to  the 
divine  estate.  This  leads  to  another  belief,  viz.,  that  God 
is  but  exalted  man.    The  Church  teaches  that: 

"God  himself  was  once  as  we  are  now,  and  is  an 
exalted  man,  and  sits  enthroned  in  yonder  heavens.  That 
is  the  great  secret.     If  the  veil  was  rent  today,  the  Great 


The  Peculiar  Doctrines  of  Mormonism   351 

God  who  holds  this  world  in  its  orbit,  and  who  upholds 
all  worlds  and  all  things  by  His  power,  was  to  make 
Himself  visible  —  I  say,  if  you  were  to  see  Him  today, 
you  would  see  Him  like  a  man  in  form  —  like  yourselves 
in  all  the  person,  image,  and  very  form  as  a  man;  for 
Adam  was  created  in  the  very  fashion,  image,  and  like- 
ness of  God,  and  received  instruction  from,  and  walked, 
talked  and  conversed  with  Him,  as  one  man  talks  and 
communes  with  another." 

Thus,  it  will  indeed  be  seen  that,  in  their  beliefs,  the 
Mormons  are  what  they  claim  to  be,  a  peculiar  people. 


Ill 

THE  MORMON  MISSIONARY  SYSTEM 

Few  people  outside  of  the  Mormon  Church  have  any 
idea  of  the  extent,  the  methods  and  the  work  of  the  Mor- 
mon missionary  system.  While  the  fearful  persecutions 
were  going  on  in  Missouri,  and  the  days  of  the  saints 
in  Ohio  were  being  numbered,  the  organization  of  the 
Church  was  enlarged  by  the  ordination  of  a  Quorum  of 
Twelve  Apostles,  and  two  Quorums  of  Seventy.*  As 
a  natural  sequence  enlarged  operations  became  essen- 
tial, and  to  those  who  recognize  the  claims  of  the  Mor- 
mon Church,  it  will  be  evident  that  nothing  less  than  an 
attempt  at  world-wide  missionization  could  be  attempted. 
As  one  historian  of  the  Church  has  written : 

"  The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
was  never  intended  to  be  merely  an  American  sect  of 
religion  —  the  Dispensation  of  the  Fullness  of  Times, 
the  dispensation  into  which  will  be  gathered  all  former 
dispensations  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  all  keys  of  author- 
ity, all  powers,  all  gifts,  all  graces  essential  to  the  welfare 
and  salvation  of  men  —  all  that  is  essential  to  the  com- 
pletion of  the  mission  of  the  Christian  religion.  The 
mission  of  the  Church  in  such  a  dispensation  is  general, 
not  local,  world-embracing.  Had  it  been  less  than  one 
of  the  world's  great  movements,  Mormonism '  had  been 
inadequate  to  the  world's  needs  —  less  than  sufficient  for 
the  world's  redemption." 

•The  term  "quorum,"  used  frequently  in  the  foregoing  pages,  has  a  peculiar  and 
distinctive  use  in  Mormon  phraseology.     It  is  thus  defined  in  the  Standard  Dictionary: 

"4.  Mormon  Church.  A  council  or  an  organized  body;  as,  an  elders'  quorum;  the 
quorum  of  the  First  Presidency." 

352 


The  Mormon  Missionary  System         353 


It  matters  not  whether  we  —  you,  my  reader,  and  I  — 
believe  in  the  Mormon  Church  or  its  mission,  or  not,  it 
is  evident  we  cannot  understand  its  actions  unless  we  are 
acquainted  with  the  mental  and  spiritual  well-springs  of 
those  actions.  In  the  above  they  are  revealed  to  us.  How, 
then,  do  they  work  out? 

Believing  as  they  do  that  their's  is  the  one  divinely- 
appointed  Church  into  which  all  men  should  be  gathered,* 
it  is  the  policy  of  the  Mormon  Church  to  send  forth 
every  man  member,  as  early  in  his  religious  life  as  pos- 
sible, to  be  a  missionary  of  the  faith.     These  men,  like 
the  apostles  of  old,  must  go  when  and  where  commanded, 
not  reluctantly  and  with  anger,  but  eagerly,  gladly  and  in 
the  spirit  of  willing  obedience.     Where  practicable  they 
must  go  in  the  fashion  prescribed  by  Christ, —  without 
purse  or  scrip  —  trusting  absolutely  in  the  Lord  for  the 
supplying  of  all  their  needs,  but  when  laboring  in  the 
cities  and  large  towns  missionaries  have  to  be  provided 
with  money  or,  under  the  law,  they  would  be  arrested  as 
vagrants.    Traveling  "  without  purse  or  scrip  "  and  rely- 
ing entirely  upon  the  people  for  the  actual  necessities  of 
life  is  the  ideal  condition,  and  this  obtains  in  many  of 
the  missions ;  yet,  as  stated,  it  is  not  universal. 

But,  asks  my  reader,  do  these  men  go  when  thus  com- 
manded? Do  they  obey  the  orders  of  their  Church  supe- 
riors ?  As  far  as  I  can  learn  there  is  and  always  has  been 
an  almost  perfect  obedience  to  this  requirement.  Men 
of  business,  of  large  affairs,  have  left  everything  at  the 
call  of  the  Church,  and  have  gone  out  to  be  street  preach- 
ers, house  to  house  canvassers  and  distributors  of  litera- 
ture, and  for  one,  two  and  even  six  and  seven  years  have 
remained  where  sent,  faithfully  discharging  the  duties 
imposed  upon  them. 

•Though  they  thus  hold,  the  Mormons  also  believe  that  at  the  time  of  the  Lord's 
advent  (yet  in  the  future)  the  Church  will  be  relatively  small  in  numbers. 


nrit       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

No  one  can  accuse  Bancroft  of  favoring  the  Mormons, 
yet  this  is  what  he  says  of  the  missionaries: 

"  In  their  missionary  adventures  no  sect  was  ever  more 
devoted,  more  self-sacrificing,  or  more  successful.  The 
Catholic  friars  in  their  new-world  excursions  were  not 
more  indifferent  to  life,  wealth,  heahh,  and  comfort,  not 
more  indifferent  to  scorn  and  insult,  not  more  filled  with 
high  courage  and  lofty  enthusiasm,  than  were  the  Mor- 
mon elders  in  their  old-world  enterprises.  In  all  their 
movements  they  were  circumspect,  moderate,  studying  the 
idiosyncrasies  of  the  several  nations  in  which  they  labored, 
and  careful  about  running  unnecessarily  counter  to 
their  prejudices. 

"  On  reaching  the  scene  of  his  labors,  the  missionary 
earned  his  daily  bread  by  some  trade  or  handicraft,  not 
even  refusing  domestic  service,  in  order  to  provide  for 
his  wants,  and  meanwhile  studying  the  language  of  the 
people  among  whom  he  lived.  Many  were  cast  into  dun- 
geons, where  they  were  forced  to  live  on  bread  and 
water;  many  traveled  on  foot  from  district  to  district, 
with  no  other  food  than  the  roots  which  they  dug  near 
the  wayside;  many  journeyed  under  the  rays  of  a  tropi- 
cal sun,  the  water  trickling  from  the  rocks  and  the  ber- 
ries hanging  from  the  bushes,  forming  at  times,  their 
only  subsistence. 

"  The  term  of  their  labors  had  no  certain  limit,  depend- 
ing entirely  upon  the  will  of  the  first  presidency.  For 
the  more  distant  missions  it  was  seldom  less  than  two 
years  or  more  than  six.  They  must  remain  at  their  post 
until  ordered  home;  and  when  recalled,  they  were  often 
forced  to  earn  by  their  own  labor  the  means  of  crossing 
seas  and  deserts.  Restored  at  length  to  their  families, 
they  were  ready  to  set  forth  at  a  day's  notice  to  new  fields 
of  labor ;  and  for  all  this  self-denial  they  sought  no  earthly 
reward,  esteeming  it  as  their  greatest  privilege,  thus  to 
give  proof  of  their  unfailing  devotion  to  the  Church."* 

'Hiilory  of  Ulak.     By  H.  H.  Bancroft. 


The  Mormon  Missionary  System         o55 

Having  spoken  several  times  to  Mormon  assemblies 
while  I  was  in  Salt  Lake  City,  many  thousands  of  the 
members  of  the  Church  came  to  know  me,  hence  I  was 
often  addressed  by  those  whom  otherwise  I  should  not 
have  known.  This  gave  me  some  interesting  experiences, 
and  led  to  the  obtaining  of  knowledge  I  was  anxious  to 
gain.  One  day  I  was  in  a  baker's  establishment.  It  was 
early  in  the  morning  before  the  usual  sales-clerks  had 
arrived.  Accordingly  a  young  man  came  out  from  the 
bakery  itself  to  wait  upon  me.  We  entered  into  conver- 
sation. Though  yet  certainly  not  more  than  thirty,  he 
informed  me  that  he  had  been  sent  "  on  mission."  For 
two  years  he  was  an  itinerant  missionary,  preaching  from 
Minneapolis,  down  into  the  South,  through  Tennessee, 
and  finally  returning  via  St.  Louis. 

Another  young  man,  whom  I  saw  almost  daily,  was  a 
reporter  on  the  staff  of  the  Salt  Lake  Tribune.  Quick, 
mentally  alert,  well  educated,  above  the  average  of  cub 
reporters,  he  wrote  not  only  detailed  matter,  but  often 
got  in  a  special  both  for  his  own  and  other  papers.  He 
could  not  be  much  over  twenty.  Yet  he  told  me  with 
unconcealed  joy  and  exultation  that  his  Church  had  chosen 
him  to  go  on  a  mission  to  England,  especially  to  combat 
some  particularly  vicious  and  lying  propaganda  against 
Mormonism  that  was  now  rife.  Here  was  no  regret,  no 
facing  an  unpleasant  task  unwillingly,  but  the  proud  con- 
sciousness that  he  was  deemed  worthy  the  trial,  the  test- 
ings, the  difficulties,  the  hardships  he  would  have  to 
endure,  and  all  for  the  glory  of  God  and  His  Church. 

Another  of  my  Mormon  friends  was  engaged  at  a  high 
salary,  with  commissions,  in  one  of  the  leading  real  estate 
offices  in  Utah.  He  was  quite  a  student,  especially  of 
local  Mormon  history,  had  been  on  a  prolonged  mission 
through  several  of  the  adjoining  states,  and  withal,  was 
a  young  man  of  considerable  literary  talent.  While 
engaged  in  this  highly  profitable  business  the  authorities 


356       Utah,  the  Land  of  Blossoming  Valleys 

of  the  Church  were  called  upon  for  a  man  to  assist  in 
preparing  the  history  of  the  Mormon  Church  in  an 
adjoining  state.  My  friend  was  appointed  to  the  task. 
In  less  than  one  week,  he  and  his  wife  and  children  had 
packed  up,  left  the  home  they  owned  and  had  made  com- 
fortable by  their  own  efforts,  and  were  located  in  lodg- 
ings in  another  state,  and  promised  a  salary  of  less  than 
one-third  the  amount  he  had  been  receiving. 

This  is  missionary  self-abnegation,  and  certainly  a 
pretty  strong  proof,  it  seems  to  me,  of  the  Mormon's 
belief  in  his  religion  and  his  ready  acquiescence  in  what 
he  is  taught  is  God's  will  concerning  his  duty  towards 
the  rest  of  mankind. 

Men  are  sent  to  Europe,  to  Asia,  to  Australasia  and  to 
Africa,  and  thousands  of  them  are  now  in  foreign  sta- 
tions, preaching  the  Gospel  as  they  believe  it. 

The  spirit  of  the  true  Mormon  missionary  is  well  set 
forth  in  the  following  poem,  by  W.  W.  Phelps,  one  of 
the  writers  of  early  day  Mormonism : 

"  The  gallant  ship  is  under  weigh 

To  bear  me  off  to  sea, 
And  yonder  floats  the  streamer  gay 

That  says  she  waits  for  me. 
The  seamen  dip  the  ready  oar, 

As  rippled  waves  oft  tell, 
They  bear  me  swiftly  from  the  shore; 

My  native  land,  farewell! 

"  I  go,  but  not  to  plough  the  main, 

To  ease  a  restless  mind. 
Nor  yet  to  toil  on  battle's  plain, 

The  victor's  wreath  to  find. 
'Tis  not  for  treasures  that  are  hid 

In  mountain  or  in  dell, 
'Tis  not  for  joys  like  these  I  bid 

My  native  land,  farewell ! 


The  Mormon  Missionary  System         '^'^>^ 


"  I  go  to  break  the  fowler's  snare, 

To  gather  Israel  home; 
I  go,  the  name  of  Christ  to  bear 

In  lands  and  isles  unknown. 
And  soon  my  pilgrim  feet  shall  tread 

On  lands  where  errors  dwell, 
Whence  light  and  truth  have  long  since  fled, 

My  native  land,  farewell ! 

"  I  go,  an  erring  child  of  dust, 

Ten  thousand  foes  among. 
Yet  on  His  mighty  arm  I  trust, 

Who  makes  the  feeble  strong. 
My  Sun,  my  Shield,  forever  nigh — 

He  will  my  fears  dispel, 
This  hope  supports  me  when  I  sigh. 

My  native  land,  farewell ! 

"  I  go  devoted  to  His  cause, 

And  to  His  will  resigned; 
His  presence  will  supply  the  loss 

Of  all  I  leave  behind. 
His  promise  cheers  the  sinking  heart 

And  lights  the  darkest  cell. 
Exiled  pilgrim's  grace  imparts; 

My  native  land,  farewell ! 

"  I  go,  it  is  my  Master's  call, 

He's  made  my  duty  plain ; 
No  danger  can  the  heart  appall 

|When  Jesus  stoops  to  reign. 
And  now  the  vessel's  side  we've  made. 

The  sails  their  bosoms  swell, 
Thy  beauties  in  the  distance  fade. 

My  native  land,  farewell!" 

THE  END 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

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lage. 

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INDEX 


Titles  of  Chapters  are  in  small  capitals 


Aaronic     Priesthood,     52,     329 

et  scq.,  336. 
Abajo  Mtns.,  36. 
Academy  of  Arts,  Deseret,  294. 
Acknowledgments,  xii. 
Adams,  Mrs.  Annie,  143. 

Maude,  143. 
Agassiz,  Mt,  230. 
Agriailture,  6. 
Alkali  Canyon,  36. 
Allen,  Charles,  56. 
America,   The  Home  of   Zion, 

350. 
Americana  Magazine,  (q.)  48. 
American  Fork  Canyon  4. 

River,  226. 
Anctent     Inhabitants     of 

Utah,  31-46. 
Angel's  Landing,  299. 
Animas  Ruins,  32. 
Antelope  Island,  12. 
Apostle,  329  et  seq. 

The  Twelve,  332. 
Appeal  to  the  President,  Mor- 
mons, 63. 
Aquarius  Plateau,  220. 
Arid  Region,  Lands  of  the,  196. 
Armstrong  Canyon,  240. 
Arrowhead  Trail,  24. 
Articles  of  Faith,  131,  343. 
Artifacts,  Ancient,  40. 
Art  Development,  288. 
Artists     and     Scxn-PTORS     of 

Utah,  288-307. 
Ashley  National  Forest,  218. 
Assay  Creek  Springs,  232. 
Assembly  Hall,  312. 
Atwood,  Wallace  W.,  (q.)  158. 
Audubon  Warblers,  248. 
Augusta  Bridge,  239. 
Authority  of  Priesthood,  336. 


B 


Babbitt,  A.  W.,  Delegate,  109. 
Bailey,  Florence  Merriam,  280. 
Bald  Mountain,  230. 
Bamberger,  J.  A.,  209. 
Bancroft,   H.   H.,    (q.)    69,  95, 

112,  354. 
Baptism  for  the  Dead,  349. 
Basin,  Great,  2,  3,  24. 

Wyoming,  5. 
Basketry,  Ancient,  40. 
Battle  Creek,  109. 
Bauchmin's  Creek,  8. 
Bear  Lake,  216,  224. 

River,  5. 
Beehive  House,  319. 
Bennett,  John  C,  74. 
Bierstadt,  Albert,  288. 
Big  Mountain,  8. 
Bingham  Canyon,  16,  211. 
Bird  Island,  253. 
Bird  Life  in  Utah,  246-259. 
Bird   Sanctuaries,  259. 
Bishop,  George,  32. 
Bishopric,   Presiding,  337. 
Bishops,  Ward,  338. 
Blackbirds,  247. 

Redwinged,  251. 
Blanchard,  C.  H.,  208,  299. 
Blasting  at  Copper  Co.,  17. 
Blossoming  Valley,  Utah  Land 

of,  X. 
Blue  Bell  Mine,  209. 
Blue  Springs.  232. 
Boastful  Daflfodil,  The,  268. 
Boggs,  Lilburn  W,  56,  69,  73. 
Bonner,  Geraldine,  277. 
Bonneville,  Capt.,  155. 

Lake,  3.  156,  273. 
Book  Cliff  Coal  Fields,  214. 
Book  of  Mormon.  345. 

On  Polygamy,  119. 


361 


362 


Index 


Nationai  Parks,  183. 

Bountiful,  109. 

Bowery,  137,  313. 

Bowles,  Samuel,  (q.)  7. 

Bowring,  Mrs.  139. 

Boy  Scouts,  Dr.  Plummer  with, 

261. 
Branches  of  Mormon  Church, 

335. 
Brant,  Black,  258. 
Brassfield,  Newton,  Murdered, 

117. 
Brenchley,  Julius,  273. 
Bridger,  Fort,  105,  113. 
Bridges,    Natural,    of    Utah, 

235-245. 
Discovered,  23S. 
Brighton,  228. 

Brocchus,  Associate  Justice,  110. 
Brown's  Hole,  27. 
Brimhall,  Geo.   A.   Pres.,    (q.) 

341. 
Bryce  Canyon,  An  Amphithe- 
ater OF  Erosion,  193-4,  231. 
Buchanan,  Pres.,  Ill,  114. 
Building  a  State,  107-118. 
Bull,  VV.  H.,  186. 
Buncombe  Jvlob,  70. 
Burton,   Robt.   F.,    (q.)    8,   122, 

273. 
Butcher  Bird,  250. 


Cable  in  Zion  Canyon,  186. 
Cache  Cave,  19. 

National  Forest,  218. 
Caine,  John  T.,  139. 
Cannon,  Frank  J.,  (q.)  84,  92. 

Geo.  Q.  (q.),  133. 

Tracey  Y.,  315. 
Canyon,  American  Fork,  4. 

Alkali,  36. 

Big,  10. 

Bingham,    16. 

Brigham's,  12. 

Chaco,  31,  38. 

City  Creek,  14. 

Colorado,  272,  273. 

Coon's,  12. 

Cottonwood,  Big,  14,  228. 
Little,  14,  228 

Devil,  36. 

Echo,  11,  18. 

Emigration,  8,  11,  13,  14. 


Grand,  Physical  Geology  of, 
273. 

Hatchberry,  41. 

Long,  36, 

Mill  Creek,  14. 

Nine  Mile,  31. 

Parley's,  14. 

Square  Tower,  41. 

Weber,  21. 
Carbonate  Mine,  207. 
Carbon  County,  31. 
Carlton,  A.  B.,  275. 
Carmichael,  Sarah,  274. 
Caroyln  Bridge,  239. 
Carrying  Companies,  109. 
Carthage,  75,"  76,  77,  98,  99. 
Castles,  Ancient,  41. 

Hovenweap,  41. 

Valley  Coal  Fields,  214. 
Cave  Dwellings,  31  et  seq. 
Cedar  City,  24,  114,  232. 

Tree's  Love,  286. 

Valley,  270.  _ 
Celestial  Marriage,  350.  _ 
Centennial — Eureka  Claims, 

208. 
Centerville,  109. 
Central  Pacific  Ry.,  324. 
Chaco  Canyon,  31,  38. 

Mesa,  31. 
Chickadee,  248,  252. 
Church,  Sovereignty  of  the,  335. 
City  of  the  Saints,  (q.)  8,  273. 
Clark,  Genl.  70. 
Clarke,  Senator  W.  A.,  327. 
Clawson,  Hiram  B.,  137. 
Clayton,  Prof.,  208. 
Cliff  Dwellings,  31  et  seq. 
Climate  of  Utah,  ix,  6. 
Clive,  C,  139. 
Coal  Fields,  214. 
Cody,  Col.  W.  F.,  281. 
Colfax,  Schuyler,  7. 
Colob  Plateau,  179. 
Colorado,  Canyons  of  the,  272, 
273. 
River,  5,  214. 
Colossal  Natural  Bridges  of 

Utah,  235-245. 
Conan  Doyle,  (q.)  277. 
Conferences     of     the    Church, 

335. 
Confessions,  J.  D.  Lee's,  277. 
Congress  Memorialized,  109, 


Index 


303 


Connor,  Col.  P.  E.,  116,  207. 

Cotton  Grown  in  Utah,  233. 

Cottonwood  Canyon,  Big,  14. 
Little,  14. 

Council  Bluff.s,  101. 

Country  Life  in  America,  (q.) 
253. 

Courage  of  Capt.  Plum,  279. 

Cowdery,  Oliver,  52,  68. 

Creeper,  Brown,  248. 

Crittenden,  Fort,  116. 

Cruising  among  the  S.  L.  Is- 
lands, 282. 

Culmer,  Harry  L.  A.,  275,  288 
ct  seq.,  318. 

Cummings,  Dr.  Byron,  (q.)  31, 
35,  43,  242  et  seq. 
Melvin  Earl,  305. 

Cumorah,  51. 

Curwood,  James  Oliver,  279. 

D 

Daflfodil.  The  Boastful,  268. 
Dallin,  Cyrus,  208,  279,  et  seq., 

319. 
Dandy  Crossing,  238. 
Danites,  276. 
Deacon,  Office  of,  339. 
Delegate  Babbitt,  109. 
Dellenbaugh,    F.     S.,    24,     178 

et  seq. 
Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Ry.,  325. 
De  Lamar,  Col.  J.  R-,  211. 
Derr,  Wm.,  139. 
Deseret  Academy  of  Arts,  294. 

News,  348. 

Territory  of,  109. 
Desert  of  S.  E.  Utah,  22. 

Chipping  Sparrow,  250, 

Horned  Lark.  249. 

Sage  Thresher,  250. 

Sparrow,  250. 
Devil's  Canyon,  36. 

Slide,  168. 
Dinah  Creek  Pass,  164. 
Dinosaur  National  Mon.,  164. 
Dixieland,  232. 
Dixie  Natl.  Forest,  232. 

-Sevier  Natl.  Forest,  232. 
Dixon,  Wm.  Hepworth,  280. 
Doctrines,   Peculiar  of  Mor- 

MONISM,  343-351. 
Dominguez,  Padre,  42. 


Donahue,  Owen,  209. 
Doniphan,  G«nl.,  71. 
Douglas,  Stephen  A.,  73. 
Douglas,  Fort,  309,  320. 
Doves,  Mourning,  248. 
Doyle,  Conan,  277. 
Drainage  of  Utah,  5. 
Drama  in  Utah,  138. 
Drive    Out    the    Mormons,    98 

et  seq. 
Dry  Farming,  6. 
Duck  Springs,  232. 
Dutton,    Clarence    E.,    (q.)    23, 

160,  170-192,  272. 


Eagle,  250. 

Gate,  319. 

Mine,  209. 
Echo  Canyon,  11,  18. 
Education  in  Utah,  146-154. 

and  Brigham  Young,  146. 
Elders  in  the  Church,  330. 
Ellen  Peak,  163. 
Ellsworth,  Mt.,  163. 
Emigration  Canyon,  8,  11,  12. 
Emma  Mine,  207. 
England,  B.  Young  in,  93. 
Escaiante  Desert,  3. 

Padre,  42,  271. 
Experimental  Station,  223. 
Exploring      Expedition,      Ma- 
comb's, 28,  271. 

Across  Great  Basin,  270. 

Colorado  River,  171. 

Great  Salt  Lake,  269. 
Eureka  Hill  Mine,  208. 
Expositor,  The,  76. 
Ezra  the  Mormon,  (q.)  134. 


Fairbanks,   Avard,  297. 

J.  B.,  295  et  seq. 
Fairchild,    President,   Explodes 

Spaulding  Theory,  347. 
Farming,  Dry,  6. 
Far  West,  67,  71,  72. 
Ferrier,  John,  278. 
Fewkes.  Dr.  J.  W.,  (q.)  42. 
Fillmore,  109. 

-Fishlake  Natl.  Forest,  218. 
Finch  House,  248. 


364 


Index 


Fire  Fighting  in  Natl.  Forests, 

218 
Fish  and  Game  Dept,  231. 

Hatcher>-,  State,  232. 

Lake    230. 
Lake  Natl.  Forest,  230. 
Flagstaff  Mine,  207. 
Flickers,  247,  248. 
Florence.  Neb.,  101,  105. 
Floyd,  Camp,  116. 
Fly  Catchers,  248. 
Folsom.  W.  H.,  137,  313. 
Forbes-Robertson,  145. 
Ford,  Gov.,  75,  76,  77. 
Forest  Experiment  Station,  223. 
Forests,   National,  of  Utah, 
216-234. 

Mountains  in,  217. 
Foreword,  v. 
Fort  Douglas,  274. 
Founder  of  Mormonism,  280. 
Freedom  to  Worship,  v. 
Fremont  River,  5. 


Gallatin,  Mo.,  69. 

Garden  City,  224. 

Garfield  Smelters,  213. 

Gemini  Mine,  208. 

General     Glimpses     of     the 

Land,  1-30. 
Gentiles,  Influence  of,  x. 

Murdered,  117. 
Geology  of  Utah,  155-168. 

Grand  Canyon  District,  273. 

Henry  Mts.,  272. 

High  Plateaus  of  Utah,  (q.) 
23,  272. 

Uinta  Mtns.,  271. 
Gilbert,    G.    K.,    155,    156,    163, 

272    273. 
Gibbon,'  T.  E.,  325. 
Gila  Monster,  178. 
Glaciation   of   Uinta   and    Wa- 
satch Mtns.,  153. 
God  Like  Man,  350. 
Golden  Plates,  51. 
Gold  Finch,  251. 
Goose,  Canada,  258. 

Cackling,  258. 

Wild  Snow,  258. 
Grand    Canyon     of    Colorado, 
272-3. 

River,  5,  27,  28,  29,  35. 


Grant,  Pres.  Heber  J.,  332. 
Gray  Cliff,  165. 
Grazing  in  Natl.  Forests,  222. 
Great  Basin,  2,  3,  6,  24,  155. 

Salt  Lake,  2,  3,  5,  7,  253,  273, 
285. 

Desert,  2,  250. 
Trail,  281. 
Green  River,  5,  27,  28,  29,  31. 
Grey,  Zane,  22,  235,  236,  279. 
Grouse,  Dusky,  252. 

Ruffled,  252. 

Sage,  252. 
Grow,  Henry,  313. 
Gull,  Sea,  258. 
Gun-Grabbing  Johnny,  (q.)  263. 

H 

Hachberry  Canyon  Ruins,  41. 
Hadley,  Albert  Whipple,  285. 

Mormon  Rhymes,  287. 
Hamblin,  Jacob,  171. 
Hammond,     Scout     Executive, 

261. 
Handcart   Brigade,  103  et  seq. 
Harris,  Martin,  51,  68. 
Harte,  Bret,  324. 
Hat  Island,  253  et  seq. 
Hatchery,  State  Fish,  232. 
Haun's  Mill,  71. 
Hayden,  F.  V.,  23. 

Peak,  230. 

Surveys,  271. 
Hawks,  Marsh,  247. 

Sparrow,  247. 

Western  Red-Tailed,  247. 
Henry  Mtns.,  162. 
Heritage  of  the  Desert,  (q.)22. 
Heron,  Blue,  258. 
Higbee,  Elias,  72. 
Highland  Boy  Mine,  211. 
High  Priest,  329  et  seq. 
Hill,  Thos.,  288. 
Hilliers,  Mt.,  164. 
Hiram,  53. 

History  of  Utah,  Dramatic,  v. 
Holden,  Bert,  208,  209. 
Holmes,  Mt.,  164. 
Horsley,  Harry,  139. 
Horseshoe  House,  41. 
Hotel  Utah,  309,  318. 
House  Finch,  240. 

Rock  Valley,  165. 

Wren,  248. 


Index 


365 


House  of  Shame,  279. 
Hovenweap  Ruins,  40,  41,  42. 
Howe,  E.  D.,  346. 
Humming  Birds,  248. 
Hurlburt,  Dr.  P.,  346. 
Hurricane  Ledge,  165. 
Hyde,  Orson,  332. 
Hydro-Electric  Development,  7, 

223. 
Hymns,  Mormon,  65. 
Hyrum  Smith,  77. 

I 

Illiteracy  in  Utah,  154. 

Indian  War,  109. 

Influence  of  Utah  upon  Lit- 
erature, 269-287. 

Inman,  Col.  Henry,  281. 

Irrigation  and  the  Mormons, 
195-205,  6. 
Investigations    in    Utah,   201 
ct  seq. 

Island  Antelope,  12,  283. 

Islands  of  Salt  Lake,  283. 

Ivins,  Anthony  W.,  Pres.,  332. 

J 

Jackling,  D.  C,  211. 
Jackson  County,  54. 
Jacob's  Pool,  165. 
Jays,  Long  Crested,  248. 

Rocky  Mountain,  248. 

Woodhouse,  248. 
Jensen,  W.  F.,  293. 
Jordan  River,  5,  250. 
Jorgensen,  Chris.,  288. 
Journey    to    Great   Salt   Lake, 

273. 
Judd,  Neil  M.,  43. 
Juncos,  247. 

K 

Kaibab  Plateau,  233. 

Kaiparowits  Plateau,  4. 

Kamas  Prairie,  4. 

Katchma  Bridge,  239. 

Kanab,  24. 

Kane,  Thos.  L.,  114. 

Keith,  Wm.,  288. 

Keys    of    the    Priesthood,    331 

et  seq. 
Kidder,  Alfred  V.,  35,  36. 
Kimball,  Ed.   P.,  315. 
Heber  C.,  91,  332. 

Mrs.,  126-7. 


Kingbirds,  248. 
King's  Peaks,  227. 
Kirkham,  Reuben,  295. 
Kirtland,  58,  64,  68,  69,  91. 

Temple,  65. 
Kiskadden,  Mrs.  Asenath,  143. 
Kivas,   37. 
Knapp,  Geo.  L.,  (q.)  84,  92. 


Labyrinth  Canyon,  35. 

Creek,  29. 
Laccolites.  164,  272. 
Lagoon,  321. 
Lambdin,  Wm.,  346. 
Lambournc,  Alfred,  140. 
Land   Classified   in   Natl.   For- 
ests, 222. 
Lands  of  the  Arid  Region,  272. 
Lark,  Desert  Horned,  249. 
La  Sal  National  Forest,  218. 
Leavitt  M.  B.,  (q.)  137. 
Lee,  John  D.,  115,  277. 
Lchi,  109. 

Liberty  Jail,  Prophet  in,  71. 
Liberty  Park,  320. 
Library,  Mormon,  xii. 

Thomson's,  323. 
Lincoln,  Pres.,  117,  123. 
Linnets,  247. 
Lion  House,  304,  319. 

Of  the  Lord,  277. 
Literature,  Utah's  Influence 

On,  269-287. 
Livestock  on  National  Forests, 

221. 
Logan,  224. 

Valley,  5. 
Long  Canyon,  36. 

Horace  J.  Discovers  Bridges, 
238. 

Valley,  165. 
Lucas,  Genl.  Sam.  D.,  71. 
Ludlow,  Fitz  Hugh,  (q.)  126. 
Lund,  232. 

Prof.  Anthony  C,  317. 
Lyne,  Thos.  A.,  138,  139. 
Lynne,  109. 

M 

Macomb,  Capt.  J.   N.,    (q)    28, 

32,  271. 
Magpie,  Western,  248. 


3GG 


Index 


Majors,  Wm.,  294. 
Maiben,  Mrs..  139. 
Mammoth  Cave,  232. 

Springs,  232. 
Manchester,  N.  Y.,  51. 
Mancos  Canyon,  31. 

Ruins,  32. 
Man  Like  God,  350. 
Manti  National  Forest,  218. 
Manuscript  Found,  346. 
March  from  Nauvoo,  v,  98  ct 

seq. 
Marvin,  Mt.,  231. 
Marriage.  Celestial,  350. 

Plural,  120. 
Martial  Law  Declared,  112. 
Marryat,  Capt.,  277. 
Martin,  Edward,  103. 
Marysvale,  325. 
McChrystal,  John,  209. 
McClellan,  J.,  Organist,  315. 
McElmo  Ruins,  32,  36. 
McGuire,  Don,  32. 
Mead,  Ellwood,  (q.)  201  et  seq. 
Meadow  Larks,  247,  251. 
Melchisedek  Priesthood,  329  ct 

seq. 
Memorial  to  Congress,  109. 
Merriam,  Florence  B.  (q.)  280.. 
Mesa  Verde  Ruins,  42. 
Metaphysics     of     Mormonism, 

280. 
Migrations  of  Mormons,  v. 

Wonderful,  vi. 
Militia,  73. 

Orders  to,  113. 
Millard,  Charley,  139. 
Millenial  Star,  93. 
Miller,  Eleazer,  91. 

Joaquin,   (q.)   249,  276. 
Minard,  F.  H.,  211. 
Minindoka  Forest,  218. 
Mines  and  the  Ore  Deposits 

OF  Utah,  206-215. 
Mining    and    Scientific    Press, 
(q.)  15. 

Camps  Opposed,  x. 

Industry,  0. 
Missions,  335. 
Missionary  System,  Mormon, 

352-357. 
Missouri  Mobs,  55  et  seq. 

Mormons  Move  to,  TA. 
Mitchell,  Arthur,  295. 


Modern    Irrigation    and    the 

Mormons,  195-205. 
Mormon,  Book  of,  50  et  seq., 
79,  119,  345. 

Church,    Organization    of, 
328-342. 

A  Restoration,  343. 
Not  a  Sect,  352. 

Belief,  vi. 

Control  in  Politics,  xi. 

Girl,  279. 

Library,  269. 

Village,   My   Summer   in   a, 
280. 

Rhymes,  Hadley's,  287. 
Mormons,  King  of,  279. 

AND  Irrigation,  195-205. 

Driven  Out,  98  et  seq. 
Mormonism,  (q.)  vii. 

Author's    Attitude    Towards, 
vii. 

Origin     of,     and     Joseph 
Smith,  47-81,  280. 

Metaphysics  of,  280. 

Unveiled,  346. 
Monmouth,  73. 
Monsieur  Violet,  277. 
Montezuma  Creek,  35,  36. 
Monticello,  35. 
Monument  Park,  289. 
Monument  to  Pioneers,  319. 
Moonlight    on    Weber    River, 

293. 
Moran,  Thomas,  288. 
Moroni,  The  Angel,  51. 
Morrill,  Justine  S.,  116. 
Morris.  139. 
Mountain  Art,  276. 

Big,  10. 

Little,  10. 

Meadows  Massacre,  114. 

Of  Utah,  3,  4,  217,  227,  230. 
Mount  Abajo,  4,  217. 

Bear  River,  5,  217. 

Henry,  4. 

La  Sal,  4,  29,  217. 

Navaho,  4. 

Oquirrh,  10,  13,  15. 

Timpanogos,  4. 

Wasatch,  15. 

Uinta,  15. 
Mukuntuweap,  169-192. 
Murder  of  Two  Gentiles,  117. 


Index 


367 


My  Summer  in  a  Mormon  Vil- 
lage, 280. 

N 

Narrows,  21. 

National    Forests    of    Utah, 

216-234. 
Natural    Bridges    of    Utah, 
Colossal,  235-245. 

National  Monument,  240. 
Nauvoo,  72,  73,  98. 

Charter  of,  75. 

Exodus  from,  102  et  seq. 

Seized  by  Enemies,  102. 
Nebo,  Mt.,  230. 
Nephi,  3,  52,  230. 
Neslen,  Robt.,  139. 
Nevada,  IIG. 

Nightingale,  Northern,  249. 
Nine  Mile  Canyon,  31. 
.Nonnezoshie  Boco,  241. 
Northern  Nightingale,  249. 
Nut-hatches,  248. 

O 

Oberlin  College  Library,  348. 

Observation,  Training  of  Pow- 
ers of.  266. 

Office  Building,  L.  D.  S.,  318. 

Officials    of    Mormon    Church, 
331  et  seq. 

Ogden,  109. 
River,  5. 

Omaha,  101. 

Ontario  Mine,  207. 

Opalescent  Valley,  The,  169- 
192. 

Oquirrh,  Mtns.,  10,  12,  13,  15. 

Ore  Deposits  of  Utah,  (q.)   1, 
157. 
Trains,  17. 

Oregon  Short  Line,  325. 

Organ,  Tabernacle,  315. 

Organization  of  the  Mormon 
Church,  328-342. 
Of    City    and    County,    Salt 
Lake,  108. 

Origin  of  Mormonism  and  Jo- 
seph Smith,  47-81. 

Orioles,  247. 

Ottinger,  Geo.  M.,  139,  294. 

Out    of    Great    Tribulation, 
98-106. 


Outing,   (q.)   282. 
Overland  Guide,  (q.)  21. 

Pony  Express,  294. 
Owachomo  Natural  Bridge,  240. 
Owls,  Desert,  250. 

Screech,  247,  251. 

Short-Eared,  247,  251. 


Panguitch,  193. 

Lake,  232. 
Paragoonah  Ruins,  43. 
Paria  Creek,  165. 
Partridge,  Bishop,  56. 
Parunuweap,  180. 
Patriarch,  330 

Presiding,  333. 
Patterson's  Printing  Est.,  346. 
Payne,  Ninetta  Eames,  282. 
Payson,  109. 
Peculiar  People,  vi. 
Pelicans,  253  et  seq. 
Peniston  Opposes  Mormons,  69, 
Pennell,  Mt.,  164. 
Pennellen  Pass,  164. 
Penrose,  Chas.  W.,  Pres.,  332. 
Phelps,  W.  W.,  Hymns  of,  65, 

356. 
Pidgin,  Charles  Felton,  279. 
Pikyabo  Natural  Bridge,  243. 
Pilgrim's  Migration,  v. 
Pine  Valley  Mtns.,  283. 
Pioneer's  Day,  321. 

Monument,  319. 
Pipe  Springs,  165. 
Pitt's  Brass  Band,  136. 
Placer  Mines,  214. 
Plague  of  Crickets,  199. 
Playhouse,  A,  140. 
Player,  Recollections  of  a,  142. 
Players   at    S.    Lake    Theater, 

141. 
Plateau  Province,  2,  3. 
Pleasant  Grove,  4. 
Plum,  Courage  of  Capt.,  279. 
Plummer,  Dr.   C.  G.,  xii,  246 

et  seq.,  253,  260-268. 
Plural  Marriage,  Revelation  on, 

120. 
Polygamy   in   Utah,   119-134, 

vi,  110,  116. 
Forbidden,  118. 
Pool  of  Enchantment,  306. 


3C8 


Index 


Powell,  John  Wesley,  157,  1G9, 
195,  272. 

-Sevier  Natl.  Forest,  21S,  220. 
Pottery,  39. 
Pratt,  Parley,  103. 
President,  Mormons  Appeal  to, 
63. 

Of  Mormon  Church,  330. 
Presidency,  The  First,  330. 
Priest,  338. 

High,  330. 
Priesthood,  Aaronic,  329  et  scq^ 
345. 

Authority  of,  336. 

In  Mormon  Church,  329,  345. 

Melcliizedck,  329  ct  seq. 
Primary    Officers    of    Mormon 

Church,  329. 
Promontory  Point,  324. 
Prophet,  330. 
Provo,  109,  226. 

River,  4,  5,  226. 
Putnam,  Orion,  186,  299. 


Quail,  Bob-White,  251. 

California  Crested,  251. 

Mountain,  251. 
Quincy,  111.,  72,  73,  99. 

IVhig,  101. 
Quorum,  330  et  seq. 


Raft  River,  6. 

Railways  in  Utah,  324-327,  6, 

117. 
Rainbow  Bridge,  241. 

Trail,  235,  279. 
Range  in  National  Forests,  222. 
Reclaiming  the  Arid  West,  195. 
Reid's  Peak,  230. 
Relf,  Geo.  O.,  318. 
Remy  and  Brcnchley,  122,  273. 
Reorganized  Church  of  L.  D.  S., 

279. 
Revelations,  52,  345. 

Given  to  Brigham  Young,  86. 

On   Plural   Marriage,  120. 
Revelators,  330. 
Rice,  L.  L..  347. 
Richards,  T.  A.,  (q.)  15. 

Wiilard,  78,  332. 
Richfield,  231. 


Riders  of  the  Purple  Sage,  279. 
Rigdon,  Sidney,  53,  68,  72,  95, 

98,  331,  346. 
Riley,  L.  Woodbridge,  Repudi- 
ated, 280. 
Rix,  Julian,  288. 
River,  3,  4. 

Bear,  5. 

Colorado,  5. 

Dirty  Devil,  231. 

Duchesne,  229. 

Fremont,   5,  231. 

Grand,  5,  28. 

Green,  5,  27,  28. 

Jordan,  5,  250. 

Ogden,  5. 

Provo,  4,  5. 

Raft,  6. 

San  Juan,  6. 

Seven  Mile,  231. 

Sevier,  5. 

Snake,  6. 

Spanish  Fork,  5. 

Virgin,  5. 

Weber,  4,  5. 
Roberts,  B.  H.,  (q.)  48. 
Robins,  247,  251. 
Robinson  Murdered,  117. 
Rocky   Mountain   Saints,    The, 

281. 
Rockville,   165. 

Creek,  229. 
Rockwell,  Orrin  P.,  72. 


Sage  Thrasher,  250. 

Grouse,  252. 
Salina,  231. 
Saltair,  310,  321. 
Salt  Lake  City,  4,  8,  105,  107, 
215,  313-323. 

Army  Enters,  114. 

Birds  in,  247. 

Great,  5,  9,  107,  269. 

Islands  in,  282. 

Route,  232,  325  et  seq. 

Theater,  135-145. 

Tribune,  118. 
San  Juan  Co.,  32,  35. 

River,   5,   29. 
San  Rafael  Swell,  24,  160. 
St.  George,  26,  232. 
Screech  Owls,  247. 


Index 


369 


Scorup    and    Natural    Bridges, 

238. 
Scribncr's  Magazine,  (q.)  25. 

ScULPTtreE   AND   ArT   IN    UtAH, 

288-307. 
Sea  Gulls,  255  et  seq.,  267. 

Monument,  200,  267. 
Secessions     from     Mormon 

Church,  279. 
Secular  Authority,  132. 
Seers,  330. 
Settlements,    Individuality    of, 

xii. 
Seven  Mile  River,  231. 
Seventy,  Quorum  of,  330  et  seq. 
Sevier  National  Forest,  231. 
Sevier  River,  5. 
Shame,  House  of,  279. 
Shipapu  Natural  Bridge,  239. 
Shunesburg,  165. 
Sierra  La  Sal,  29. 
Simpson,  Capt.  J.  H.,  31,  270. 
Siskins,  Pine,  247. 
Smelting  in  Salt  Lake  City,  214. 
Smith,  Hyrum,  77,  317. 

Hyrum  C.  334. 
Smith,  Joseph  and  the  Origtn 
OF  MORMONISM,  47-81,  vi. 
Arrested,  73. 
First  President,  331. 
How  Explain,  80. 
Letter  to  Persecuted  Saints, 

58. 
Shot,  78. 
Statue  of,  317. 
Joseph  F.,  Pres.,  332,  348. 
Smithville.  32. 
Snake  River,  6. 
Snow,  Eliza  R.,  124. 
Leroi  C,  xii. 

Lorenzo,  Pres.,  123,  124,  332. 
Social  Hall,  137. 
Soil,  Utah's,  6. 
South  Pass,  27. 

Sovereignty  of  the  Church,  335. 
Spanish  Fork  River,  5. 
Sparrow,  247. 
Chipping.  247,  250. 
Desert,  250. 
Hawk,  247. 
Song,  250. 
WhitenCrowned,  249. 


Spaulding,  M.  S.,  348. 

Theory,  345. 
Springs  in  Utah,  232. 
Spiritual  Wives,  280. 
Springfield  Republican,  (q.)  7. 
Stakes,  330  et  seq. 
Stansbury,   (q.)  27,  269. 
Star,  Evening  and  Morning,  53. 
State,  Building  A,  107-118. 
Steamboat  Mtn.,  165. 
Stenhouse,  T.  H.  B.,  281. 

Mrs.,  282. 
Stephens,  Evan,  317. 
Stolen  Sunbeam,  275. 
Stoddart,  James  H.,  142. 
Strang,  James  Jesse,  279. 
Strawberry  Reservoir,  229. 
Sun  Pictures  of  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, (q.)  22. 
Surouaro,  33. 
Swallows,  248. 


Tabernacle,  Salt  Lake,  312. 

Choir,  136. 

Organ,  315. 
Talmage,   Apostle,  J.   E.,    (q.) 

131. 
Taylor,  John,  Pres.,  78,  332. 
Teacher,  Mormon,  338. 
Tell  It  All,  282. 
Temple  Block,  311. 

Kirtland,  Dedicated,  65. 

Salt  Lake,  311. 
Territory  of  Deseret,  109. 

Utah,  110. 
Tertiary  History  of  Grand  Can- 
yon, 273. 
Theater,  The  Salt  Lake,  135- 

145. 
Thomson,    S.    O.,    Private   Li- 
brary, 323. 
Timber,  Native,  220. 

Waste,  219. 
Timpanogos,  Mt.,  4,  225. 
Tintic  Mine,  207  et  seq. 
Tithing  System,  340. 
Tobacco  and  the  Mormons,  152. 
Tomorrow's  Tangle,  279. 
Tommy  Duck  Springs,  232. 
Towers,  Ancient,  40,  42. 

Of  the  Virgin,  172. 

Square,  42. 


370 


Index 


Transportation,  6. 
Trumbull,  Mt.,  233. 
Tullidgc's  Quarterly,  276,  294. 

John,  294. 
Tuttle,   Bishop,    (q.)    128,    131, 

328. 
Twin  Peaks,  15. 

U 

Uinta  National  Forest,  218. 

Range,  3,  5,  227,  271. 

Glaciation  in,  158,  236. 
Union  Pacific  Ry.,  324. 
Unit  Type  House,  42. 
University   of    Utah,    153,   309, 

310. 
U.    S.    Smelting,   Refinmg  and 

Mining  Co.,  208-9. 
Utah,  Bird  Life  in,  246-259. 

Central  Railway,  325. 

Copper  Co.,  15,  207  et  seq. 

Description  of,  1-30. 

Geology  of,  155-168. 

Illiteracy  in,  154. 

Made  a  Territory,  110. 

Museum,  45. 

Railways  in,  324-327. 

Timber,  220. 

Valley,  229. 

War,  111. 
Utah's  Attractions,  ix. 

Climate,  ix,  6. 

Educational    System,    146- 

154. 

Influence    on     Literature, 

269-287. 
Mines    and    Ore    Deposits, 

206-215. 
Transportation,  6. 
Soil,  6. 

V 

Valley,  San  Pete,  6. 

Sevier,  6. 

Utah,  229. 
Valleys,  Blossoming,  x. 
Van  Burcn,  Pres.,  Appealed  to, 

72. 
Van  Vliet,  Capt,  112. 
Vermillion  Cliffs,  165. 
Virgen  Rio  (same  as  Virgm). 
Virgin  River,  5.  165,  190,  234. 

Towers  of,  172. 


Vision,  Joseph  Smith's,  49,  317. 
Vulture,  250. 

W 

Walker  Bros.,  294. 
Wall,  Col.  Enos  A.,  210. 
Wandamere,  321. 
Warblers,  Audubon,  248. 

Yellow,  248. 
Ward,  334. 

Bishops,  338. 
Ward,  George,  304. 
Warren,  Major,  101. 
Wasatch  Natl.  Forest,  218,  225. 
Range,  3,  4,  5,  15,  228. 
Glaciation  in,  158. 
Water  Power,  7,  222,  225. 
Weber  Canyon,  21,  168. 
River,  4,  5, 

River,  Moonlight  on,  293. 
Weggeland,  Daniel  A.,  294. 
Western  Pacific  Ry.,  325. 
Western  Physician-Natural- 
ist, A,  260-268. 
Wheeler  Survey,  43,  156,  271. 
Whitingham,  Vermont,  91. 
White  Canyon,  238  et  seq. 
Whitmer,  David,  68. 
Whitney,  Horace  G.,  138. 

Orson  F.,  (q.)  206. 
Widtsoe,  John,  Dr.,  6,  153. 
Williams,  Fredk.  G.,  332. 
Willie,  James  G.,  103. 
Wilson,  Harry  Leon,  277. 
Winter  Quarters,  101  et  seq. 
Wire  in  Zion  Canyon,  186. 
Wonderland  of  the  Wild  West, 

275. 
Woodpeckers,  248. 
Woodruff,  Wilford,  Pres.,  332. 
Manifest   against   Polygamy, 
118,  129. 
Word  of  Wisdom,  80. 
Wren,  House,  248. 
Wylie's    Camp    in    Zion    Natl. 
Park,  185. 


Yard,  Robt.  Sterling,   (q.)   175, 

177. 
Yarrow,  Dr.  H.  C,  43. 
Yellow  Jacket  Ruins,  36,  41,  42. 


Index 


371 


Young,  Brigham,  Religionist 
AND  Statesman,  82-97,  vi. 
And    His    Mormon   Empire, 

(q.)  84. 
Born,  Whitingham,  Vt.,  91. 
And  Education,  146. 
And  Irrigation,  197. 
Conflict  with  S.  Rigdon,  95. 
Guidance  of  Settlers,  xii. 
His  One  Revelation,  86. 
In  Charge  of  Exodus,  101. 
In  Literature,  277. 
Lieut.-'Genl.  of  Militia,  101. 
Made  President,  332. 
Missionary  in  England,  93. 


Opposed   to    Mining    Camps, 

X,  206. 
Prophecy  Concerning,  95. 
Rebukes  Brocchus,  110. 
Levi  Edgar,  Prof.,  43. 
Mahonri,    M.,   200,   267,    304, 

317. 


Zion,  City  of,  53. 

Land  of,  vi,  350. 

National  Park,  1G5,  169-192. 
Z.  C  M.  I.,  119,  320. 
Zion's  Camp,  64,  92. 


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